


Alternative Methods (of Pain Relief)

by Camucia



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha Ben Solo, Alpha Kylo Ren, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Because I Find it Hilarious, Clueless Virgins, Desperate Attempts to Stay In Canon, Eventual Smut, F/M, Frank Discussions of Sexuality, Humor, Omega Rey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-05-25 01:56:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14966627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Camucia/pseuds/Camucia
Summary: Rey has never exactly had the most normal of reproductive health, and Jakku left her with the pain tolerance of a rancor. But even by her standards, the increasingly awful cramps that have plagued her these last few months are getting a bit... unmanageable. She’s perfectly content to do as she has always done for her entire life, gritting her teeth and soldiering through the pain -Too bad this is apparently Not An Option when these sensations are shared with a certain Supreme Leader....so yes, this is in-universe Omegaverse, with some Star Wars-y twists because I’m filth who can’t get enough of this trope. I’m choosing to blame EVERYTHING on midichlorians - may as well put all the trash in one heap, right?





	1. Your Sad Devotion to Breathing Exercises (is no match for a Bossy Supreme Leader)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is bizarre, gross, gallows-humor filled smut I started writing while in the throes of dealing with now-diagnosed endometriosis, and the various, ah, solutions we have attempted in maintaining it. I intend to keep it as lighthearted as I can, and short - this is not the monster Footnotes is shaping up to be. Enjoy? I apologize if this is weird.
> 
> This chapter contains a very offhanded reference to a potentially rape-y situation that never happened, and is not ever going to happen in this fic. Just as a warning.

 

 

 ** _Inhale_ ** _, two, three, four,_ **_hold_ ** _, two, three four,_ **_exhale_ ** _, two three, four,_ **_hold_ ** _, two, three, four,_ **_inhale_ ** _-_

 

“It’s awfully optimistic to assume _breathing_ is going to help you through it this time. You have _got_ to see a doctor about this pain.”

 

Rey released her breath _very_ slowly in an attempt to calm herself, knowing that her meditation had, once again, been rudely interrupted. She really had to concentrate on forcing her eyes shut - she could feel a massive headache building, and her eyelid was already twitching in poorly repressed fury.

 Well, at least he seemed to have learned his lesson about referring to it as _“our_ pain.”

 

“What do _you_ want?” Rey stated tiredly, keeping her eyes firmly shut.

 

 _You._ That was the safe, cowardly way she had chosen to address him, whenever it became absolutely necessary to communicate with him over these last few months. Which had become… _Frustratingly_ more frequent due to the pain.

Rey had tried to ignore him for as long as he could, whenever the Force insisted on connecting them. At first, he was all bluster, angrily accusing her of being the last person he’d ever let betray his trust. This sort of reaction was what Rey had expected after… Well, everything. And it was easy to stay mad at him when she was confronted with his rage - but she wasn’t prepared for what followed. 

He tried to reason with her. He tried to explain himself. He _begged._ Rey told herself she wasn’t listening, but some of his words got through - Force help her, some of his rantings even made _sense._ It was harder and harder for her to maintain a stony silence, and it was not until the day she cut him off with a pleading _“Kylo-”_ when she practically felt his heart shatter.

 _‘Rey, you - I thought - you’ve never called me…’_ His raw, desperate voice was one Rey would never forget. How had it been possible for such a large man to suddenly seem so small? _‘I understand now. I won’t bother you anymore. I’m… Sorry.’_

She wouldn’t call him Ben. Not to his face, not after Crait. But his reaction to hearing the name Kylo from her… Rey couldn’t quite bring herself to call him that, either.

So for now - _‘You.’ ‘Hey.’ ‘Um.’_ He had adapted surprisingly well to his new names, seeming more grateful that she was willing to communicate with him at all.

 

Apparently, that communication now extended to _medical advice._ Force help her. 

“This isn’t normal, Rey. Not to mention that it’s incredibly distracting for me.”

“Good, maybe this is how we win the war after all. Not by killing, but by taking down the Supreme Leader with _chronic cramps.”_ Rey rolled her eyes under her still-shut lids. “If I can handle this, so can you.”

“I’m being serious. I know you’re … a female, but if what I’m feeling is even an fraction of what you’re going through, you need to see a physician.”

Rey finally let herself crack an eye open, staring up at him with incredulity. _“... ‘a female?’”_

Ben blushed, turning his face from where he had clearly been staring directly down at the cross-legged Rey. She had zero qualms talking about her own body, but apparently Ben had some posh reservations about where this discussion was headed. “You know what I mean.”

“I just can’t believe you called me _‘a female,’_ there’s just something so… _Off_ about that.”

“Regardless. This has gone beyond the normal inconveniences of your sex. Please, at _least_ see a medical droid and get a diagnosis.”

“I’m perfectly fine. And it is _beyond_ presumptive for you to assume you know what _‘a female’_ goes through, much less _all_ of us.”

Ben looked somewhat taken aback, as though stunned that his authority would be questioned here. “You _have_ met my mother, haven’t you?”

Completely taken off-guard, Rey found herself automatically responding. “Of course I’ve met General Organa, I’ve practically lived with her for the last six months.”

“And would you expect that woman to be anything other than _completely_ open and frank about things a boy _never wanted to know_ about his own mother?” Ben seemed to give an involuntary shudder. “I may have never felt the pains for myself firsthand, but I can certainly describe it all in _vivid detail._ And what you’re going through is _not_ normal. _”_

Rey opened her mouth to respond, but Ben pressed on, his eyes locked in a faraway, somewhat horrified staring contest with the wall. This seemed like something he had wanted to get off his chest for a while.

“I’m almost glad she was barely around, my bond with her wasn’t anywhere near as strong as mine with you - of course I had _some_ idea of what she went through on a monthly basis - but when she gave me the talk… I was ten. _Ten._ The things she told me... I know for a fact that what most parents tell their children was nowhere near as - as _explicit_ as what she put me through. _Stars,_ and then when she went through _menopause-”_

It was very difficult for Rey to restrain herself from openly rolling her eyes at him. It seemed petty. “Yes, I’m sure it was all _quite_ traumatic, but at least you had someone who cared enough about you to _explain_ all of this. On Jakku, I had to start trading for contraceptives when I was twelve-”

_“What.”_

 

Instantly, it was as though the room physically darkened. Rey could practically _feel_ Ben’s fury spiralling out of control, the thoughts of his sudden madness forcing their way across the bond as he swore he’d reduce all of Jakku to _nothing but charred glass by the time he was done burning down the planet that_ **_forced a little girl-_ **  

“No! No, it wasn’t like that - um…” Now it was Rey’s turn to blush at her former ignorance, but she needed to stem this tide of dark before it got out of hand. “I didn’t know you had to couple _with_ someone to get with child, I thought women just _became pregnant_ if you didn’t have contraceptive pills. Like… Out of thin air.”

The darkness immediately abated, and was replaced by an air of complete befuddlement.

 

“...What.” Ben repeated, this time in flat disbelief.

“Of course, I realize now that it was a complete scam that the contraceptive dealer was running by keeping me ignorant - and a really _good_ scam, I _always_ got my pills before I’d get portions - but at least it meant I never had my monthly.” Rey clarified with a shrug.

Ben pinched the bridge of his nose, squinting his eyes shut. _“Please_ tell me that you have since you’ve left Jakku.”

Rey blinked in confusion. “Have what?”

“Had your… Menses.” 

“Kriff, you’re so proper. No, of course I haven’t, why would I want _that?_ And why would you even _care?”_

Ben continued to press at his sinuses, looking pained. “I care because this is affecting me as well, in case you forgot - though, I admit, to a much lesser degree. Your… _reaction_ to me calling it ‘our pain’ was lesson enough that you’ve been tolerating it a lot better than me. But I don’t want to see you suffer.” 

Rey snorted in disbelief, but Ben continued.

“So you’ve never had your menses, and you’ve been having this particular pain since…?”

Opening her mouth to reply, Rey furrowed her brow as she realized that she hadn’t given this very much thought at all. “I never had this problem on Jakku - I didn’t have _time_ to have this problem. I suppose it’s been since…” Cocking her head curiously, Rey was struck with a memory. “Huh. Starkiller. The first time I felt this was after…” Rey’s head snapped to stare at Ben accusingly. “Did - did _you_ do this to me?”

 

Lowering his hand from his face, Ben met Rey’s eyes, his expression almost cold in its sternness. “You are going to a doctor. _Now.”_  

Rey automatically rose to her feet, the thought _get to the clinic_ placidly blooming through her mind, overriding all other thought as she felt her body turn-

Shaking her head, Rey tried to come back to her senses. The command was persistent as it practically thrummed in her thoughts, _this was what was best for her, it would be just so easy to_ **_obey-_ **

“What - what was I - _hey!”_ Furious, she marched right up to Ben, pointing an accusing finger at his face. “That was low, even for you. Do _not_ try to _mind trick_ _me_ into-”

“It’s not the Force. You know we can’t do that here. That was… something else.”

“Making me do what you want? Projecting commands at me with your thoughts? Trying to make me forget that this is probably something _you did to me?_ Sure sounds like the Force to me.” Rey snarled.

Ben blinked slowly, looking down at Rey’s practically feral expression. He reached his hand toward her face, hesitating as it hovered inches from her jaw, but then withdrew, shaking his head. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. But I swear I didn’t do anything to you - at least not what you’re thinking. When you go see a doctor, they should be able to explain everything. And get you… better.”

“I. Am. _Fine._ There’s _nothing_ to get _better_ because this is _normal!”_ She shouted, hoarse with fury. “Anything that _isn’t_ normal is because _you_ did something that you don’t want to admit!”

 

Rey’s heart hammered wildly, she was practically seeing red - she knew this was wrong, to let her anger control her like this, that she shouldn’t be letting him rile her up like this, but she was just so… So _livid!_ At the very least, Ben was presumptive, arrogant, most likely a _complete_ liar - and this was all in addition to his multitudinous other sins. Maybe this was part of what he did to her, this _anger_ that so easily came to her. Some Jedi she was turning out to be - perhaps his plan was to _infuriate_ her to the Dark side. She felt her thoughts grow sharper and darker, until-

Once again, Ben’s gloved hand approached her face, but this time with more confidence, tucking an errant hair behind her ear. Rey shivered at the contact, but somehow was not repulsed. All of her rage seemed to dissipate in a breath, leaving her… Peaceful.

His low voice was calm - soothing, even, an utter contrast to her own. “Prove it, then. _Please._ If everything is fine, go to a doctor, and have a check-up. It’s a completely _normal_ thing to do, Rey. And if you’re right...”

 

Ben’s fingers slowly dragged down past her jaw, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. Finally, his hand came to rest just above her collarbone, his thumb circling gently at the junction of her shoulder and neck. A thrill shot through Rey as she involuntarily tilted her head back a fraction of an inch, feeling lost as her eyes met his. His expression was plaintive, practically begging her to follow through on his request - it wasn’t a command, this time. Another lesson learned.

“If you’re right, I’ll never bother you again. I promise. Until then…”

 

And just like that, he closed off their connection. Rey staggered forward in the sudden lack of his presence, her heart still racing, though this time decidedly not in rage. This was… different. She almost _wanted_ to feel mad at him, after everything that just transpired, and she did want - _stars_ she just _wanted..._

 

Coming back to her senses, Rey gave herself a small shake.

  
...did he _sniff_ her before he left?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: A Much Overdue Visit With Dr. Ball (more than the Force awakened on Jakku) 
> 
> I would pay money to have heard Carrie Fisher give her kids The Talk. I can only imagine.
> 
> So I realize that the way I have this written right now, it’s going to be a slow-ish burn by A/B/O standards, but that’s mostly because canon Ben/Rey need some lessons in trust before they’re ever heading to pound town. And trust me, they will. Just give them a little bit of time.
> 
> If you enjoyed this, check out my other fanfic Footnotes, or as I call it - in-universe reverse Flowers for Algernon. If you’re here because of Footnotes - welcome back! I’m definitely working on chapter 16, but y’all know that those chapters are massive and take me a bit. If you’re here because of Footnotes, and are horrified that I’m doing A/B/O… I’m sorry? And those used to my usual 8k long chapters, know that I hope to keep these chapters around 2k words, so don't feel like I'm neglecting Footnotes if this updates more frequently - those just require a lot more time and thought than this dumpster fire.
> 
> Comments/kudos/questions/etc. are greatly appreciated! Thank you all for joining me on my garbage therapy journey.


	2. A Much Overdue Visit With Dr. Ball (more than the Force awakened on Jakku)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OVERWHELMED by the feedback! Have another chapter, you thirsty lovers of utter trash!

Rey paced in the tiny corridor, waiting for the light above Dr. Ball’s room to indicate he was ready to see the next patient.

The Resistance had gone underground -  _ literally. _ After Crait, they had set up base within the labyrinthine tunnels under Capital City in Lothal, an impressive network of interconnected basements, caves, cellars, and tunnels that the former Rebellion had used extensively.

It was almost too much room for the still-small Resistance, but at least it meant everyone could have their own space. Including, apparently, Dr. Ball.

Much like how she now paced, Rey had gone back and forth on what to do. On one hand, she  _ absolutely _ didn’t want to go see a doctor just because  _ Ben _ told her to. On the other hand, he might think that her  _ not _ going meant that she feared he might be right. Which was, of course, unacceptable. 

Then, of course, there was the very reason they had that discussion in the first place - the cramping was only getting worse. Within hours of talking with Ben, Rey was overcome with such incredible, searing pain that her only solution was to curl up in a ball on the cool, concrete floor of her little room, waiting for the tear-inducing pain to end. 

That’s when she knew it was bad - Rey of Jakku did not  _ cry in pain  _ over  _ nothing.  _ It was a waste of water. So maybe… Maybe there was actually something wrong. This still didn’t mean Ben was necessarily right.

Rey had asked other human females around the base about how she should go about seeing a doctor for non-emergency purposes - a ‘check-up,’ as Ben and virtually every other person had termed it. The idea of seeing a doctor when you weren’t bleeding out and dying was a fairly new and frankly posh-seeming concept to Rey.

Unfortunately, Dr. Kalonia, the Resistance’s only physician who Rey already knew, was out on a relief mission. The general advice Rey got was to find someone aboveground in Capital City, where she’d have to pay, or see… Dr. Ball.

 

Rey had not heard of Dr. Ball. But she was assured that he’d be equipped to handle diagnostics and a basic checkup. In retrospect, the use of the words  _ ‘diagnostics’  _ and  _ ‘equipped’ _ should have raised more flags for Rey. Because she was wholly unprepared for what she saw when Dr. Ball’s door finally opened.

There was no greeting, no invitation to enter the office. But the door was ajar, and the light displaying the word “ENTER” illuminated. Tentatively, Rey entered the threshold, not sure what to expect.

Dominating the room was what looked like a very tall, stiff bed, covered in a piece of paper. The wall next to it was lined with all sorts of scopes, monitors, scanners, and tools even Rey didn’t recognize from Imperial wreckage. There was a sink, a counter lined with yet more tools and containers, and several more cabinets that were sure to be bristling with medical equipment. All in all, it was what Rey assumed a doctor’s office must look like. 

 

An Imperial-era interrogation droid, however, was...  _ certainly _ not something she had in mind. The black sphere hovered there menacingly, giving off a faint whirring noise. Its IT-0 designation plate had been rather unconvincingly scratched out with the letters DR-BL etched underneath.

“DO YOU HAVE AN APPOINTMENT.”

The blaring, monotonous voice that issued from the ball lacked any inflection or immodulation. It was simultaneously terrifying, and…  _ funny.  _ Rey had to bite back a snort of laughter at the ludicrousness of the situation. Her doctor was a former torture droid. Why not.

“Er, yes, yes I do. I set it up through the terminal a few hours ago.”

“STATE YOUR NAME AND DATE OF BIRTH.”

“Rey. No last name. And - um - I don’t know. I just put in zeroes in the terminal.”

“WE HAVE WAYS OF FINDING OUT.”

 

Rey  _ actually _ laughed out loud as the droid moved toward the drawers, procuring some small tools, cords, and wires. Intellectually, she knew this was a repurposed torture droid, which made complete sense, seeing as they were equipped to keep their victims alive through all sorts of horrid interrogations - but to an outside observer, this must look-

“Rey! What are you -  _ get away from that thing!” _

-utterly  _ not _ like a doctor’s visit.

 

Of course. Of  _ course _ the Force chose right now to connect them. Rey was fully prepared to tell Ben to shut off their connection, as he so  _ clearly _ proved he was capable of doing by choice last time. Just as she opened her mouth to tell him off, he bodily inserted himself between her and the droid, caging her behind his arms as he faced Dr. Ball, who remained oblivious to the Force-ly presence of the Supreme Leader of the First Order.

Rey attempted to shove away Ben’s arm, but it was like trying to move a brick wall. “Kriff  _ off, _ I have this under control!” She whisper-shouted, hoping that Dr. Ball was occupied enough to not notice her, for all appearances, talking to herself.

“Sure you do. You and the  _ torture droid, _ who you were answering, by the way - it must have already injected you. You’re being kept in some - in the - what the…” Ben glanced around the room, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“So I take it you can see my surroundings, then.” Rey mumbled. Between being able to close off their Force-conversations at will and now, apparently, being able to see where she was, Ben clearly had better control over their bond than he had in previous encounters. She would have to warn the General that they may need to move headquarters soon, or put Rey somewhere potentially less recognizable.

“Is this some sort of historical preserve?”

_ “...what?”  _ She whispered, still trying not to draw Dr. Ball’s attention. 

“No. Rey, please tell me this isn’t… That you’re not seeing your doctor in this - this  _ museum exhibit. _ This equipment is positively  _ antique _ \- where is your physician? _ ”  _

 

Dr. Ball chose this moment to about face, several of its spindly appendages armed with devious-looking instruments and devices.

“PLEASE TAKE A SEAT UPON THE EXAMINATION TABLE.” The droid stated stridently, its metallic voice reverberating shrilly in the small room.

“Rey. That interrogation droid. Is it. Your. Doctor.”

“DO YOU HAVE ANY ALLERGIES.” Dr. Ball continued unimpeded, twirling a particularly gruesome looking tool in one of its many arms.

“None that I know of.” Rey replied, trying to ignore Ben’s mounting irritation practically rolling off of him in tendrils.

“ARE YOU IN PAIN TODAY.”

_ “Maker,  _ that thing  _ is _ your doctor. I know I mentioned a droid for diagnostics, but  _ kriff,  _ this is not what I meant - I didn’t think the Resistance was in  _ this _ bad of shape…” Ben collapsed in the small, wheeled chair next to where Rey sat on the table, kicking out her legs nervously. Dr. Ball evidently didn’t take notice of the chair moving of its own accord, its singular eye focused only on Rey.

“Um, yes, I am in pain. It comes and goes, but I am here because of pain.”

“When that thing asks if you want to be in  _ more _ pain, like it’s designed to do, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to help you out, Rey.”

Dr. Ball shoved a small datapad adorned with several cartoon faces in various states of distress in front of Rey’s face. “ON A SCALE OF ONE TO TEN HOW MUCH PAIN ARE YOU IN.”

“Um… Three?”

Ben snorted. “Your three is most people’s eight. Tell it six.”

“But I’m not at a six right now.” Rey replied haughtily before realizing she appeared to be talking to an empty chair.

“IS IT SIX OR IS IT THREE.”

“Three. But it spikes to a six - sometimes more.”

“I AM GOING TO RUN SOME SCANS WHILE I CONTINUE THE QUESTIONNAIRE.  
HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE THE LOCATION OF OR CAUSE OF YOUR ONSET OF PAIN.”  Dr. Ball aimed three arms laden with scanners at Rey, some of his various instruments making faint chirping and whirring noises

“The pain is usually in my abdomen, but I haven’t been able to figure out the cause as of yet, no. That’s why I’m here.”

“MY SCANS INDICATE THAT YOU ARE A HUMAN FEMALE OF APPROXIMATELY 20.4 YEARS.  
IS THIS CORRECT.”

Rey startled slightly - nothing like finding out you were slightly older than you thought. “Um, yes, I suppose so.”

One of Dr. Ball’s more lethal-looking arms shot forward, jabbing Rey’s finger before even she (or Ben for that matter) could react. “THIS MIGHT STING.” He belatedly warned, blood already being dropped on a scanner.

“See? It’s already stabbing you without warning. I can’t believe you’re trusting it.” Ben unhelpfully commented.

“I WILL CONTINUE THE QUESTIONNAIRE AS WE WAIT FOR YOUR TEST RESULTS.  
DO YOU NOTICE IF YOUR PAIN IS BROUGHT ON BY ANY PARTICULAR ACTIVITY SUCH AS - RUNNING - EATING - DEFECATION - OR - SEXUAL INTERCOURSE.”

“Ah - no. No, I haven’t. It seems pretty much random.” Rey glared down at the still-incredibly-intrusive Ben, who returned the look with wide-eyed, slow-blinking innocence. Why couldn’t he just _ leave?  _ What did he stand to gain by sticking around here -  _ surely _ the Supreme Leader of the First Order had something better to do than  _ attend his alleged mortal enemy’s doctor’s appointment. _

“You’ll thank me for staying here and at least  _ trying _ to help when that thing attempts to murder you. No amount of reprogramming makes a droid forget its original purpose.”

“WHEN WAS THE DATE OF YOUR LAST MENSTRUAL CYCLE.”

“I’ve - um - never had one.”

Dr. Ball twitched back and forth, seeming to process this. “WHILE NOT UNHEARD OF THIS IS HIGHLY IRREGULAR.  
FURTHER ANALYSIS IS NEEDED.” 

Lightning-fast once again, Dr. Ball shot forward, this time inserting and leaving a small, four-pronged metal device on top of Rey’s stomach. With a deceivingly happy chirp, the four prongs of the device  _ drilled _ through her clothes and into the skin around her navel.

While not  _ extremely _ painful, Rey couldn’t stop the  _ yelp _ that issued from her in startelement as the prongs burrowed into her skin. Instantly, Ben was on his feet, bracing her shoulders, his face… concerned? She was sure this was going to be his next opportunity to remark on Dr. Ball’s… Shortcomings as a physician.

 

Why did she not hate how his warm, gloved fingers were worrying small circles across her shoulders? The solid comfort of his presence at her back. The way his massive hands made her small back feel-

 

“This… This is  _ barbaric.”  _ Ben whispered with a sneer, still rubbing at her back. “The First Order would never subject - kriff, even our  _ prisoners _ to medical treatment like this. Is this what I have to look forward to in the  _ extremely _ unlikely event that your pathetic Resistance manages to take me in?” 

Well, maybe she did hate him after all. She shrugged his hands away, leaving him to lean against the wall.

“THIS MIGHT STING A LOT.  
YOU MAY WANT TO TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHING FOR THIS PROCEDURE THOUGH IT IS NOT NECESSARY.” Evidently, Dr. Ball’s warning system needed some fine-tuning.

“WHILE WE WAIT FOR THE PROBE TO FINALIZE I AM GOING TO NEED A FULL SEXUAL HISTORY STARTING FROM THE DATE OF YOUR FIRST -” Dr. Ball paused, seeming to process the irrelevance of its question. “STARTING FROM YOUR TOTAL NUMBER OF SEXUAL PARTNERS.”

“I don’t, um, have a sexual history. So we can move right along.” Rey mumbled. 

She wasn’t ashamed, but something about the way that she practically  _ felt _ Ben perk up at her statement made her feel… Defensive.  _ Certainly _ it gave the way he had been holding her shoulders a different light. Was this all some sort of…  _ Thing? _ Did he have some foul assumption about her being another  _ notch in his lightsaber _ , or however he tallied his conquests? Because that was the  _ last thing-  _

Oh, and now he had the nerve to  _ laugh _ at her. Well, as close as he got to laughing - whatever that repressed snort was she heard behind her.

“I assure you, Rey, whatever assumptions you’ve made about my own sexual history are  _ wildly _ inaccurate. Though I appreciate your - confidence? No, that’s not the right word.”

She wished more than anything that she would be able to tell him off without Dr. Ball probably attaching yet more painful probes to her to check for insanity, or however they did that.

 

“I HAVE RESULTS.” Somehow, that statement sounded panicked from the ever-monotonous Dr. Ball.

“INITIAL SCANS HAVE INDICATED NORMAL - BLOOD PRESSURE - HEART RATE - AND - SUGAR LEVELS FOR YOUR AGE AND SIZE.   
INITIAL SCANS HAVE INDICATED ALL NON-REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS FUNCTIONING WITHIN NORMAL LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE.   
INITIAL SCANS HAVE INDICATED AN UNUSUALLY HIGH MIDICHLORIAN COUNT.   
INITIAL SCANS HAVE INDICATED EVIDENCE OF PROLONGED MALNUTRITION IN CHILDHOOD.  
DOES THIS SEEM ACCURATE GIVEN YOUR MEDICAL HISTORY?” 

“No surprises there - wait, what’s a midichlorian?”

“A MICROORGANISM FOUND MORE OFTEN IN FORCE-SENSITIVE AND DIMORPHIC BEINGS.”

“Ok, force-sensitive, I understand - dimorphic?”

“I  _ told _ you that you wouldn’t believe me.” Ben pouted.

“I don’t understand, I’ve never heard of - what’s  _ dimorphic?”  _

“You - you don’t  _ know? Kriff, _ did Luke learn  _ anything-” _

Dr. Ball chose this moment to be instructive. 

“DIMORPHIC IS A COMMON TERM USED TO CATEGORIZE BEINGS EXPRESSING CERTAIN SECONDARY SEX CHARACTERISTICS OUTSIDE OF WHAT IS CONSIDERED AVERAGE MALE AND FEMALE ORGANS FOR A GIVEN SPECIES.   
HUMANOIDS TEND TO USE THE DESIGNATIONS - ALPHA - AND - OMEGA - FOR THE MASCULINE AND FEMININE FORMS RESPECTIVELY.”

Alphas. Omegas. Those were words she knew in theory, but… She felt heat flush her cheeks - it couldn’t  _ possibly _ mean the same thing in a medical context - a snort of sarcastic laughter behind her disrupted her thoughts. Rey’s head snapped to look over her shoulder at Ben, who wore a miffed, skeptical expression.

“I mean, the droid isn’t  _ wrong. _ Just not entirely  _ right _ either, and that’s a gross oversimplification. ‘Masculine’ and ‘feminine’ aren’t exactly the correct terms here - I mean,  _ sometimes _ that’s how it lines up, but-”

Rey dismissed Ben’s increasingly academic-sounding speech with a wave of her hand, returning her attention to Dr. Ball. “Well, I am Force-sensitive, but I’m not - I’m not… _ that.” _

This time, Ben gave a genuine laugh. He sat back in the wheeled chair once again, letting it glide until it came to rest alongside where Dr. Ball hovered. Rey glared down at him. Somehow, even seated a good two feet below her, he still managed to express a sort of irritating smugness.

“Oh. I thought this was when  _ it _ was going to tell you. I guess this thing is still analyzing what I could have told you  _ months _ ago.” Ben looked thoughtful for a moment. “I wonder if it’s worse for you to hear this from me or it.”

“PROCESSING.”

Rey took advantage of Dr. Ball’s apparent preoccupation. “And what, exactly,  _ is _ it that you’re so all-knowing about,  _ Supreme Leader?” _ she hissed down at him.

“Not all alphas and omegas are Force-sensitive, Rey. But all Force-sensitives  _ are _ alphas and omegas. Sorry, sweetheart, you’re dimorphic.”

“But - that’s-” Rey blustered, lost. “Alphas and omegas? I thought they were a  _ myth _ \- isn’t it just some sort of -  _ porn thing?” _

Ben’s eyebrows positively disappeared into his hair. He opened his mouth to respond-

“ONE MOMENT AND I WILL DISPLAY THE RESULTS OF YOUR ABDOMINAL SCAN ON THE MONITOR.”

 

Instantly, the wall behind Dr. Ball showed a projection that didn’t make much sense. It was mostly black, with some ghostly white images of what looked like nothing more than spine-spider webs and blobs.

Apparently, whatever was there made at least some sense to Ben. He let out a low, long whistle. “Kriff, Rey, that’s…  _ Bad.” _

Rey looked over to Ben, her bafflement evident.  _ Why _ in all the galaxy would he  _ know _ that?

“ _ Explicit _ sexual education. My mother thought it would scare me off from being irresponsible, and damned if she wasn’t-”

“INITIAL ANALYSIS INDICATES YOU HAVE EXTENSIVE ENDOMETRIAL GROWTH OUTSIDE THE UTERUS DUE TO - ARTIFICIALLY PROLONGED DELAY OF MENSES - AND - RECENT EXPOSURE TO ALPHA SCENT MARKERS.   
GROWTH IS RELATIVELY NEW AND AGGRESSIVE, SUGGESTING LESS THAN SIX MONTHS’ GROWTH.   
LEVEL OF AGGRESSION IS OF IMMEDIATE CONCERN.  
PROCESSING ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS.”

 

Rey took each piece of information one at a time. Delayed menses. That was nothing she didn’t know. Scent markers? No idea. New and aggressive growth that started six months ago? Six months ago, she was...

_ “You…” _ Rey hissed, fully not caring that Dr. Ball would see her appear to be talking to herself. “This is  _ all _ somehow  _ your _ fault.”

“PROCESSING.” Maybe she didn’t have to worry about Dr. Ball noticing after all.

Ben cocked his head slightly, seeming to consider her words. “Tangentially? Yes. However, if you want to point fingers, you should really blame FN-2187.”

“So you  _ admit _ \- wait,  _ Finn?!” _

“He met you on Jakku, correct? He defected from the First Order right after I sensed him - woke him up, so to speak. A lot of people think recessive dimorphism stays dormant until you encounter another dimorph - alpha, omega, doesn’t matter. Your body keeps it locked down until the presentation is viable. I found him, he found you. Strange, though, I would have thought the Stormtrooper program would have scanned for midichlorians, they should have found an Omega  _ ages _ before I did-”

Only Dr. Ball was capable of stopping Ben's waxing philosophic on dimorphic checks in the First Order.

“FURTHER ANALYSIS.   
SUBJECT - REY - IS DESIGNATION - OMEGA - WITH STRONG EXPRESSION ALONG MULTIPLE MARKERS OF THE MIDICHLORIAL STRAND.   
POSTPONED MENSTRUATION AND HEATS HAVE CAUSED PARTICULARLY AGGRESSIVE UTERINE AND ENDOMETRIAL GROWTHS THAT MADE INITIAL IDENTIFICATION DIFFICULT.  
PROCESSING RECOMMENDATIONS.”

 

“Wait,  _ what?”  _ Ben rose from the tiny stool, incredulous as he squinted at the chart.

“PROCESSING.” Dr. Ball unhelpfully interjected.

Now it was Rey’s turn to be smug. “Oh? Something your all-seeingness didn’t catch?”

“You’re… You’re an _omega.”_ Ben stated softly in disbelief.

“...yes? I assume this is just something else that goes on my identification, like my blood type. Why is this such a big deal to you? Kriff, why are you even still  _ here?” _

Ben turned his head slightly, his eyes trailing over Rey’s form. “Rey, you - you really have no idea, do you? Your designation - this is going to change everything about your life. You’re an omega. I’m an alpha.”

“I think you’re making this into a much bigger issue for reasons I’m not sure I want to consider. Besides, I was under the impression that you already knew, since you always just seem to know  _ everything _ about me.”

“I only knew you were dimorphic, Rey, I just thought you were… Like me.” he replied quietly, sinking back into his chair as he stared blankly ahead.

“You thought - you thought I was an  _ alpha?”  _ Rey didn’t even know that this was even an actual possibility until just minutes ago, but even she saw the absurdity of the suggestion. If holoporn was to be believed (the absurdity that this was the extension of her knowledge on this matter almost made Rey laugh out loud), alpha women were… Well, not shaped like Rey.

“Of  _ course _ I thought you were an alpha! From the moment I scented you on Takodana, you  _ insisted _ on fighting me every step of the way! I scented FN-2187, and like an Omega, he froze up and _ran._  You _shot_ me! I assumed you were attacking me, challenging me as a fellow Alpha - and I let you, because I thought it was-”

“You - you  _ let _ me?! I’m to assume you  _ let me _ slice your face open?” Rey growled.

“See?  _ That’s _ what I’m talking about. That fire, that passion -  _ that’s _ why I thought you were an alpha, and  _ that’s _ how I knew even then that I had to have you, designation be damned. But you’re an Omega.  _ Kriff,  _ this makes a lot more sense - even muted with those horrible contraceptives, your scent was unlike  _ anything-” _

__

“RECOMMENDATIONS PREPARED.”

“-it’s like you were  _ made _ for me-”

Dr. Ball droned on, completely drowning out what Rey could only hope was an elaborate series of lies designed to horrify her, that were in no way appealing and couldn’t have possibly caused a shivering shock to work its way down her spine.

 

“YOU SHOULD DISCONTINUE THE USE OF CURRENT HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVES IMMEDIATELY.   
YOU SHOULD AVOID THE USE OF ANY HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVES OR DIMORPHIC SUPPRESANTS UNTIL AN ABSOLUTE MINIMUM OF - ONE - REGULAR MENSES AND - ONE - REGULAR HEAT HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED.   
UTERINE GROWTHS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED SURGICALLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  
THIS SHOULD HELP WITH - ABDOMINAL PAIN - BUT WILL NOT ELIMINATE IT COMPLETELY.”

Rey’s brain raced to catch up with that particular load of information. “So - no contraceptives, have a period, get surgery for the growths. That makes sense. But that might not help with the pain?”

“You’re _really_ not going to ask it what a heat-” 

“THERE ARE ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF PAIN RELIEF.”

“What are my options?” Rey ignored Ben’s presumably lewd comment, from the way that he emphasized the word  _ heat. _

“SUPPRESANTS AND DIMORPHIC-SPECIFIC CONTRACEPTIVES ARE TYPICAL OMEGA OPTIONS BUT NOT RECOMMENDED FOR YOU AT THIS TIME.  
DEPENDING ON POST-SURGICAL BIOPSY RESULTS IT IS POSSIBLE YOU MAY NEVER BE ABLE TO USE CONTRACEPTIVES FOR PAIN RELIEF.  
CYCLOOXYGENASE-2 INHIBITORS MAY PROVIDE MINOR RELIEF.  
CONTACT WITH BIOLOGICALLY COMPATIBLE BEING MAY PROVIDE MODERATE TO MAJOR RELIEF WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF ELIMINATING SYMPTOMS.”

“That sounds promising. Where can I find a…  _ biologically compatible _ being?”

Rey very deliberately chose to ignore where she could practically feel Ben’s gaze upon her. She had a dual feeling of dread and anticipation - with everything that had happened to her, between the Force and now, evidently,  _ her own damn body,  _ she had a very good guess about where, exactly, this was all leading.

“THOUGH EXTREMELY RARE TO FIND - YOU HAVE COME INTO CLOSE CONTACT WITH A BIOLOGICALLY COMPATIBLE BEING WITHIN THE LAST - SIX - MONTHS."

Of course.

"THIS BEING HAS A SIMILAR AND/OR EQUAL MIDICHLORIAN COUNT.   
THIS BEING HAS A SIMILAR AND/OR EQUAL NUMBER OF ALPHA MARKERS WHERE YOU HAVE EQUIVALENT OMEGA MARKERS ON THE MIDICHLORICAL STRAND.  
THIS MAKES YOU-” Dr. Ball whirred, processing for the exact right word - evidently, he couldn’t find a better one that he started with - “COMPATIBLE.”

“Damn right we are.” Ben muttered.

Rey reminded herself of her breathing exercises. “So I couldn’t - just - with  _ any _ Alpha?”

“No!” Ben sounded incredibly offended.

“NO.” Dr. Ball unknowingly agreed.

“I wouldn’t be able to find someone -  _ anyone _ else _close_ to compatible?”

“THE ODDS OF FINDING ANOTHER BIOLOGICALLY COMPATIBLE BEING WITH A MIDICHLORIAN COUNT OVER 12,000 IS APPROXIMATELY [ 8 x 10 TO THE POWER OF 233] TO ONE.”

“Kriff. Of course. Hypothetically - if I tried this, and I’m not saying I would - what do you mean by ‘contact?’”

“PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH - COMPATIBLE - BEING WILL - SOMEWHAT LESSEN SYMPTOMS.”

“Ok,  _ somewhat lessen, _ that hardly sounds-”

Dr. Ball was  _ not _ done.

“REGULAR INTERCOURSE WITH - COMPATIBLE - BEING WILL - LESSEN SYMPTOMS.  
INTRODUCTION OF - COMPATIBLE - SPERMATOZOA TO UTERINE AREA WILL - GREATLY LESSEN SYMPTOMS.  
PREGNANCY WITH - COMPATIBLE - BEING WILL - ELIMINATE SYMPTOMS.”

 

Rey turned to face Ben, her eyes wide and face ashen. She was wholly unprepared for his bright eyes staring directly at her, full of humor and intent.

“When do we start?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Second Opinions With the General (I find your lack of actual surgeons disturbing)
> 
> Welp, I’ve put some of my cards on the table about how I’m handling canonverse A/B/O. Sorry if I’m treading on the sacred texts of omegaverse or whatever, I’m new to this.
> 
> Thanks to Mr. Camucia (actually, I should start calling him Dr. Camucia from here out, since that’s what he is) for his input on Dr. Ball’s… Less than ideal bedside manner, but correct line of questioning, and some terminology. He also helped me out with coming up with “dimorphism,” since I needed a medical-y sounding adjective for describing those with A/B/O designation. Not sure if it’s been used before, but I figured it works? And Dr. Ball was so damn fun to write. He might stick around.
> 
> I should mention that I hate the idea of midichlorians as an aspect of canon so much that I have decided to punish them by turning them into a porn plot element. I also refuse to type it out as midi-chlorians, because it looks dumb. You’re welcome.
> 
> Thank you SO much for the fantastic feedback on this so far; I didn’t expect such a silly concept to blow up so quickly. Please don’t expect quite this frequency of posting, since I need to go finish up chapter 16 of Footnotes before returning to this glorious, easy-to-write trash. Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments, and keep them up! Y'all are fun to write for.


	3. Second Opinions With the General (I find your lack of actual surgeons disturbing)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (heavy breathing as I restrain myself from doing 8k word count chapters. Y’all have no idea how hard this is for me)

Evidently, being righteously _furious_ at Ben Solo was all it took to cut off their connection in the Force.

Rey was grateful for the timing on that particular revelation, because she could hardly handle her _own_ embarrassment during what followed - Dr. Ball’s extremely vivid and practical explanation of what she should expect in her first period, and her first heat. She wasn’t sure of many things, but Rey was confident that the words _“uncontrollable sexual desire”_ were never meant to be uttered in Dr. Ball’s blaring, monotonous voice.

She was willing to accept what he told her about menstruation - after all, it was something that affected far more women than this… _heat_ business. Dr. Ball had provided her with some Omega-centered flimsies that seemed woefully out of date, so perhaps his own medical advice regarding heats was just as - what was Ben’s accusation? _Antique?_ Rey chose to approach the information she was given with a _large_ grain of salt.

By the time she got back to her quarters, her mind was burning with a million questions not even remotely addressed by the flimsies. So, like any rational-minded individual would do in this situation, she turned to the Holonet. Getting herself comfortable in her bunk, she pulled up a search menu on her datapad; she wanted to make sure she got some good, general information to start with.

 

With the most naive of thoughts, and by no means knowing what was going to happen or where this search would lead her, she typed in the words “real Omegas.”

 

_Several enlightening hours later..._

 

_“Oh yeah, Alpha, give it to me!”_

_“Take it, take it bitch! Take my knot!”_

_“I’m coming! I’m com-”_

 

A numb, vacant-eyed Rey closed out of her twelfth tab of the evening. She stared at her datapad pityingly, feeling that she had somehow tainted the poor thing after what she had put it through.

She should have known better, she realized in retrospect. Finding actual facts and advice among the holoporn sites was like trying to navigate an asteroid field. For every forum filled with people like her asking questions and trying to answer them, there were seemingly _hundreds_ of holoporn sites, advertising everything from _“100% REAL Omegas ONLY!,”_ to _“First Time Knotted!”_ By the time Rey was getting fewer results like “What to do when your blockers aren’t as effective,” and more sites like _“Live feeds of F/F Twilek ruts/heats!,”_ she knew she was in over her head.

Even the forums were only so helpful, full of terms and phrases she could only somewhat guess the meaning of. It also didn’t help that, apparently, human Alphas and Omegas were relatively rare compared to many species, and seemed to be concentrated on certain planets - from what Rey gathered by the holoporn, Gatalenta and Mandalore were particular hotspots for human dimorphs.

With a defeated sigh, she tapped through her open tabs, which alternated between horrifying holoporn and only slightly-helpful information she had managed to find concerning the type of surgery she would need to have done, and its impact on her body. There was just so much out there - and so, _so_ very much of it porn - she just wished that there was someone, _anyone_ who could-

 

“Rey? I’m - what are-”

_“Research!”_ Rey blurted, her finger trying desperately to close the tab labeled _“Thirsty Omega girl begs for Alpha cock,”_ but found that her panicked, sweaty hands weren’t registering on the datapad’s screen. Desperate, Rey flopped the entire pad facedown on the mattress, bracing her hands across the back of it, as though that would somehow contain the filth.

Ben Solo lurked in the corner of her quarters, looking wholly out of place in what must have been his formal Supreme Leader garb. “So. You called?”

_“Called?_ I don’t know what you’re talking about. As I said before, I _never-”_

“You did. Just now. I felt it - you needed my help.”

“I told you just where you could put your ‘help’ earlier, if you remember.”

“Yet here we are. You reached out, and the Force brought me to you. You don’t have to read into it, but I think it’s pretty obvious.” Ben sighed, leaning against the wall. “So. Research. What did you find?”

“... Normal things. Information about the surgery I’ll be having.”

“Ah. Clearly.” Ben sounded unconvinced. “So you’ve set up a date for the operation?”

“Um. Sort of. It’ll have to wait for a while, Dr. Ball had to order some specialized… appendages.”

Ben, who had previously been casually glancing around Rey’s quarters, quickly snapped his head back to meet her eyes directly. His face was etched with disbelief as he stared at her down his long nose, his mouth slowly twisting in horror. “No.”

_“‘No?’_ What do you mean, _‘no?’_ You were the one who insisted-”

“No. It’s out of the question. You are not having a _torture droid_ do your abdominal surgery - I can’t believe I’m even saying these words out loud!” He advanced on her from across the room, his body large and looming over where she sat in her bunk.

Rey glared up at him. She would _not_ be intimidated. “What choice do I have? It’s because of you, your _Order,_ that we’re stuck in this underground hole without a real doctor! Besides, why would you even care? I’m sure it would make your job much easier if I wasn’t around-”

“Of course I care! You’re-” Ben leaned back slightly as he huffed, his cheeks tinged pink. He took a long, calming breath, his eyelids fluttering shut. “You might not want to acknowledge it, but you _know_ we’re bound in the Force. And now, since you’re my- you’re an - if you die…” He now looked forlorn, his shoulders slumped as he seemed to collapse on himself. “I can’t lose you, Rey.”

Rey rose to her feet, willingly entering his space for the first time so she could be on even standing with him. “Why? _Why,_ Ben - _say it.”_

His gaze was still downcast, and he seemed uncomfortable with the situation, his face twitching when she said his name aloud for the first time since the _Supremacy._ The sight of him so unsure, defeated - she couldn’t help herself, Rey slowly reached her hand toward his face, her fingers grazing the bottom of his jaw as she forced him to meet her eyes. A shiver passed between them at the barest of skin contact, and Rey now fully felt his presence - in the Force, in this space, in his _scent-_

Ben’s gloved hand grasped her wrist, stilling her hand where it touched his face, making her fingers more fully press against his skin. Finally, he met her eyes, his face set and determined, seemingly bolstered by her actions. “Because you’re _mine.”_

His words - they should have disgusted her, _infuriated_ her - but, instead, his sincerity, the utter _truth_ she felt in those words - they sent a pulse that went straight down from her heart to clench at her core.

“Oh,” was the only whispered response Rey could offer. Her mouth opened several times to voice a retort, but the words never left her lips.

Ben dipped his head once again, his hand still firmly holding her wrist as his thumb stroked at her pulse. Rey didn’t know what had come over her - she had been far angrier for a much less blatant comment before - but somehow, this just felt… _Right._ His hair was falling over his face, and she had to fight back an inexplicable, irresistible urge to press her nose to his scalp, to really breathe in this positively _enticing_ smell that surrounded them-

What - what was _wrong_ with her? Shaking herself, Rey stepped backwards, her hands going to pull nervously at the collar of her tunic, where she felt as though she was breaking out in hives.

“S-stop that,” she breathed, her voice not even sounding convincing to herself.

He cocked his head slightly and peered at her through his bangs, advancing on her again. “Stop what?”

“You’re - whatever you’re doing with the Force.”

“I’m not doing anything.” He now had her against her bunk, her calves resting against the bed frame.

“Yes you are, you’re making me-”

He backed up slightly, holding up his hands as if in surrender. “Rey. I’ve told you this before. I swear I’m not using the Force. I thought you said you did your research - what did you find?”

Rey felt her face blush fully crimson as sweat trickled down her spine, her eyes darting to her mercifully downturned datapad. “N-nothing.”

“It’s not the Force. And it’s not _‘nothing,’_ either. You need a teacher.”

Those hauntingly familiar words grounded Rey, giving her a moment’s clarity amid the fog of… Whatever this was.

“Oh, and I suppose you’re _somehow_ the only one who can teach me, _Master?”_ She meant that word to come out sarcastically, but its intent was completely lost in the context of whatever was happening between them.

For the first time, a genuine, small smile teased at the corner of his mouth. “Not exactly who I had in mind, but I’m more than happy to fill that position, if you want. And I wouldn’t have you calling me _‘Master,’_ either.”

As though sensing her fury building again, Ben was quick to continue. “No. Who you need - she’ll teach you everything you ever needed to know about Alphas and Omegas, and then some. You need to tell her _everything_ about us, and she’ll confirm what I’ve been telling you - this isn’t just the Force. Of course she won’t _want_ to say I’m right, seeing as she’s the most... _Alpha_ person I’ve ever known.”

“... _‘she?’”_

“You need to go see my mother.” 

* * *

  
It wasn’t terribly difficult for Rey to send a message to Leia Organa the next morning, asking if she could see her. The General was quick to respond, apologizing to Rey for not being able to meet with her immediately due to an unforeseen issue, so she set up a specific appointment for her come to her office.

Somehow, having a very precise meeting time made Rey’s anxiety spike - all morning, she could only think about the dread in the pit of her stomach as she counted down the rapidly-passing minutes. After all, she had been avoiding telling the General - or _anyone_ \- about… whatever it was between her and Ben. Before, it had just been the bond in the Force she was shamefully hiding. Now it was this _Omega_ nonsense, and whatever _that_ meant.

She was halfway to taking the coward’s route by cancelling the meeting when a fresh wave of _horribleness_ pulsed through her body, a now-familiar throbbing, unceasing pain in her abdomen. From her designated spot curled up on the cool floor of her quarters, Rey acknowledged that perhaps she needed to see this through after all, and take care of what got her in this situation in the first place. At the very least, she’d need to tell the General that she needed to take leave due to her upcoming surgery.

When she had regained the ability to crawl across the floor, Rey shakily grabbed the packet of maximum-strength cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors Dr. Ball had given her, dry swallowing them with a confidence borne of years of taking contraceptives. Dr. Ball had assured her that they would help at least a little, but only if she took them preemptively, and not in response to pain - of course, Rey, ever the shrewd Scavenger, had put off taking them until now.

It was almost time. She could barely stand, let alone move comfortably, but she gritted her teeth and pushed on. The tunnels between her quarters and the General’s office were blissfully empty, saving her having to explain her hunched walk and presumably strained expression.

 

She finally made it to the door, breathing deeply through trying to straighten her posture and act normal. It was fine. This was normal. She crossed the threshold, finding the tiny Leia Organa sitting at her desk, surrounded by datapads and flimsies.

“General? Are you-”

“Rey! I’m so glad -” The General rose to her feet, cocking her head slightly in an oddly familiar gesture, a puzzled expression on her face. Leia paused, breathing deeply as she seemed to consider Rey for a long moment. Rey became acutely aware of just how familiar Leia’s presence was, how she… _smelled._ It was hardly a sense she had ever given much thought to, but one that was apparently more powerful every hour she was no longer on her contraceptive pills. The General closed her eyes slowly, dipping her head in a long exhale.

“Is this a bad time?” Rey asked timidly, shying away from the door.

“Rey, I have all the time in the world for you. But you need to come over here first.”

By the time Rey’s mind was able to process the General’s command, she was already standing right before her, bewildered at how her feet seemed to move without her even thinking about it. And she certainly wasn’t ready for the tiny woman before her to firmly wrap her arms around her, pulling her to her chest. Rey felt herself go boneless, her head sinking to rest on Leia’s shoulder.

And then - it was the strangest thing. An absolute sense of peace and comfort radiated from Rey’s chest; she almost wanted to cry at the beauty of it, how safe she felt in this moment; it was unlike anything she had ever felt in her life. Even the pain in her abdomen receded to a dull ache instead of the angry straining previously there. Where Ben’s vague presence in their previous interaction was possessive and thrilling, Leia’s was entirely different, but still relentlessly... _Alpha._ _You’re safe here, you’re safe with this Alpha. Let_ ** _go._** Leia’s hand slowly stroked her back, the other coming to hold her face, turning her so they faced each other.

“Rey, sweetheart - how long have you been dealing with this?”

She let out a pathetic, small laugh, a tear falling from her eyelashes. “Which part?”

“The pain. Your upcoming heat. Ben. All of it - why didn’t you _say_ anything?”

Wiping at her eye, Rey gave a wincing smile. “I didn’t want to burden anyone, General.”

“Please - the formalities - just call me Leia. We’re practically family at this point. I knew this was a possibility when I smelled him all over you the first time…”

“First time - Gen-Leia, what - how-?”

With a generous smirk, Leia took Rey’s hands, guiding her as they sat in a pair of comfortable chairs in front of her desk. She continued holding her hands in a warm, firm grip. “You really think I don’t know what’s happening under my own nose? I may be past my prime, but I’d know my own son’s scent anywhere. Not to mention his Force signature. This Omega business of yours - that’s new, though. And something I should have picked up on ages ago.” Leia sighed, leaning back in her chair to look at Rey with an appraising eye. “Suddenly, a lot more things make sense.”

“I’m sorry, but - I really don’t follow.”

“You. Ben. I knew you two had _something_ going on the second I sat next to you on the Falcon on Crait, when you gave me hope for him again - but I was willing to wait, see where this went. I’ve felt him, you know, flickering in and out of here like a ghost. He’s not subtle.” Leia steepled her fingers, seemingly re-considering Rey. “Care to explain what, exactly, is going on between you two?”

 

It was as though Leia singlehandedly demolished the Information Dam that Rey had apparently been constructing around herself for some time. All of it came out - the beginnings of their Force bond, who really killed Snoke, their continued and strained interactions, their shared pain - and now, the most recent revelation from Dr. Ball concerning her status as an Omega.

By the time she caught up to when Ben advised her to see Leia, Rey was nearly in tears. “I never meant - I _swear_ I didn’t want to keep this a secret. I had no idea how anyone would react, and the last thing I wanted was to be sent away. Ben swore he would never use our connection to harm me, and for whatever reason _I_ trusted him - but I could hardly expect the _Resistance-”_

Once again, Leia took Rey’s hands into her own, her presence warm and reassuring. “Rey. I know you would never do anything to endanger us, and you haven’t. Well…” she rolled her eyes, seemingly remembering something. “We’ll get to that in a minute. The important thing right now is getting you the help you need - and for once, I find myself in full agreement with my son. You need a real doctor, an actual surgeon, and a safe environment, not an underground, guerrilla surgery with that - _thing.”_

Rey found herself feeling oddly defensive. “It’s not its fault. Dr. Ball can’t help what it is - I was thinking with some diagnostics, maybe a new voice - it could really help around here.”

Leia snorted in apparent disbelief. “Good luck with that. But I do have to ask you, in all seriousness - when did you know that he could see your surroundings?”

Rey felt her heart rate skyrocket again. “Y-yesterday. Or, at least, he never mentioned it, and I never noticed him looking around before.” Her palms sweated profusely - had she given away their location? Were all of his promises of not exploiting their bond just carefully timed lies?

“Well, it’s safe to say he knows where we are, is genuinely concerned for your safety, and has chosen to show it in the most… High-handed, grandiose, _Alpha_ way imaginable.”

 

Sighing deeply with a shake of her head, Leia pressed a button that caused the entire ceiling above them to open up, revealing a massive skylight. Rey raised her hand to shield her eyes and squinted, unused to the natural sunlight after spending so long underground. As her eyes slowly came into focus, she realized that it wasn’t as bad as it could have been - most of the sunlight was, in fact, blotted out by a massive First Order medical frigate.

A massive. First Order. Medical frigate. _Here._ Kriff.

“This showed up early this morning. Just fell out of hyperspace _directly_ above our base, Rey. Now, you can imagine the sort of panic it caused to see a First Order ship show up here - even if it is a medical ship. But it didn’t do anything. It just sat there. Naturally, we scanned it, hailed it - nothing. Nothing except six life signs, all in the critical care unit, all unconscious.”

“So we sent a team up to investigate. They found six uniformed medical officers, bound and gagged, who don’t seem to remember a thing beyond their own medical training, let alone ever joining the First Order - and the team found a note pinned to one of them.”

Opening a drawer at her desk, Leia procured a single sheet of actual paper. “And, of course, my idiot son broadcasted this all over the Holonet, so the press has been having themselves an early Life Day over _this_ one.”

Rey leaned forward to get a better look, a sense of unease building in her stomach. Written in obnoxiously, perfectly hand-scripted High Galactic, was the damning statement:

 

_‘A goodwill donation for the crumbling Resistance. An Alpha takes care of his Omega. -Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader of the First Order’_

 

* * *

_Meanwhile, on the Finalizer…_

 

“Supreme Leader, I’m not entirely sure how I’m supposed to address… _This.”_

Kylo Ren idly pushed his cuticles back on his ungloved hand, loaning a tiny fraction of his attention to General Hux. The rest of his scrutiny was directed to the multiple viewscreens he had pulled up, showing news outlets from around the galaxy. Every reporter was attempting to interpret the cryptic message that he made sure was publicly released before his mother could destroy the evidence.

“You could start by thanking me. This has completely distracted the press from that disastrous campaign of yours in the Western Reaches. Our public support has skyrocketed, and the Resistance has been made to look like incompetent fools who don't look after their own people.”

Hux’s face was twisted into barely-repressed fury. “If you knew the Resistance was hiding on Lothal, why did we not simply _destroy them from orbit?”_

Sparing Hux a withering glance, Kylo resumed work on his fingernails. “Of course. And take out the entirety of Capital City in the process. Because that policy has won us the hearts and minds of the galaxy _so_ many times before. We’re doing something different.”

“Well, Supreme Leader, this is decidedly something _different.”_ Hux gave a long-suffering sigh, shaking his head. “I must admit, getting the entire galaxy focused on speculating who your mysterious Omega in the Resistance is... could be advantageous.”

Kylo shrugged. “Could be. But it won’t take them long to figure out it’s the Jedi. A few more gestures like this ought to show her I’m serious about us, though - don’t you think?”

Slowly turning to face him, his face horrified, Hux barely managed to breathe the word-

_“Her?!”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> __
> 
> __
> 
> Next time: Further Research (Alphas Are From Mandalore, Omegas Are From Gatalenta)
> 
>  
> 
> Apparently, I cannot write Kylo/Ben without him being a bit of a jackass, but I mean - look at his parents! It was bound to happen, and he's going to have plenty more opportunities to really do the whole high-handed, Alpha courting thing at Rey (yes, "at" her. Her brain is still not fully on board). He may even have a few more starships up his sleeve.
> 
> Thank you all SO much for the incredible reception this weird-ass fic has gotten so far - this chapter was a bit more dramatic than I'd like (that's the second "Rey comes clean with Leia" chapter I've done within the last month, and I streamlined the hell out of this one), but I'm going to have a lot of fun with the, ah, "research" next chapter - plus Dr. Ball will be making a return (Rey's attempts to give him a new voice do NOT pan out). Please keep up the comments! I love seeing what you all think.


	4. Further Research (Alphas Are From Mandalore, Omegas Are From Gatalenta)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight time jump, perspective swap, and some insight from Kylo - I want this thing to move along as quickly as y’all do, trust me!

Up until a couple weeks ago, Kylo Ren had been fairly certain that, for once in his life, he was finally getting on top of things.

He was Supreme Leader of the Galaxy, for starters. Though it was not something he exactly  _ planned _ for, his authority and power were absolute. Well, theoretically. Hux still attempted to undermine his every move, and his more war-minded officers constantly questioned his strategy and decisions. But it was no matter, his orders were, however begrudgingly, carried out, and his position allowed him to assign the more boring aspects of leadership upon eager underlings. This in-no-way-irresponsible-or-lazy designation of responsibilities left plenty of time for him to pursue his - ah -  _ interests, _ primarily involving the personality, habits, and preferences of a certain Alpha Jedi he intended to have as his own. He saw her as his personal project, and he dedicated a good deal of his time to perfecting his strategy of how they would come together.  

It was _just_ like the Scavenger to throw his well-ordered plans _completely_ _out the airlock._

Hundreds of notes, dozens of dusty books, more studies than he could count - all of the research he had done over the last few months on how to instigate and make an Alpha/Alpha relationship work was now completely  _ useless _ in the face of a potential courtship he never imagined was even a  _ possibility. _ All that time, all that effort negated with a single word  _ from a damn ball. _

He had been so certain that Rey was an Alpha. Sure, her scent was muted, but she was young, and her behavior was filled with the fire of an Alpha female. Her ferocity, her possessiveness - hell, her protectiveness of  _ him _ of all people,  _ in front of his own master _ . If anything, he was terrified of letting her down, that he wasn’t the Omega she was clearly made to compliment. Of course, he was more than willing to take on the challenge of being an  _ Alpha’s _ Alpha -  _ her _ Alpha. He would bring her to heel - or she would tame him; imagining the possibilities of their inevitable battle for dominance had been half the fun.

 

But now… Things were different.  _ Very _ different. Rey wasn’t a young, pre-Rut Alpha - she was a young, pre-Heat  _ Omega _ who had health problems galore thanks to her miserable upbringing. The thought that she had been made to suffer for so long made him see red every time he thought about it, and the only thing that kept him from reducing Jakku to stardust was the fact that he was  _ fairly _ certain it wouldn’t make Rey happy.

Kylo was her Alpha, all right - and she his Omega. Their biology, the Force, their bond - the signs that they were meant for each other could no longer be passed off as mere coincidence, even by Rey. The burden of responsibility he felt was massive; there were so many expectations to fulfill, so many _traditions_ that demanded to be upheld, so many ways he could disappoint her. Sending her a medical frigate was nothing, a mere trinket compared to what she _should_ expect of him as her Alpha. He was _The_ _Supreme Leader, dammit_ \- he’d give her the galaxy if that was what she wanted, but her reaction to the last time he offered _exactly that_ told him enough _._

She was a difficult woman, a difficult Jedi, and a difficult Omega, but he wouldn’t have it any other way - she was  _ challenging, _ but fascinating, lovely, and  _ perfect _ for him. After all, with his upbringing, he saw a courtship with any less than three near-deaths and constant bickering as hardly one worth pursuing. She deserved the best, and it was up to him to figure out what, exactly, that meant for her. He needed to find out what to do for Rey,  _ specifically. _

On the dimorphic end of things, at least there was no shortage of material about Alpha and Omega courtship and pairings, both literary and scientific - granted, a good amount of what was out there was…  _ less _ than academic. And Rey was hardly a typical Omega, or even a typical human female, for that matter.

As far as the non-dimorphic aspect… He really  _ did _ try to be helpful and find out what she wanted, what she needed - but she was being just so…  _ obtuse.  _ The medical frigate he sent was deemed  _ “ridiculous,” _ and his advice concerning coping with her menses - which had delayed her surgery -  _ “intrusive.” _  She was  _ not _ giving him much to work with.

 

So, Kylo Ren had, once again, thrown himself headfirst into research, unabashed in his use of the most opportune time he had available.

Meetings.

 

Hux was still droning on about a trade blockade or some similarly boring nonsense while Kylo dutifully read through a post-surgery care checklist on his datapad for perhaps the tenth time that day. 

Rey had begrudgingly accepted his gift of the medical frigate and surgical team, and it had now been over a week since her first menses, and four days since her surgery. Everything had gone as smoothly as possible, considering the severity of the growths - Kylo shuddered as he imagined the butchering it could have been under the not-so-careful tools of  _ that droid.  _ According to both the doctors and…  _ the ball, _ Rey would be able to make a full recovery within the week, provided that she took care of herself.

However, he knew Rey, and he knew that she had been going  _ wildly _ against doctor’s orders. 

Lifting heavy machinery, contorting her body at odd angles to aide in repairs - everything she was doing to help the Resistance was something she utterly should  _ not _ be doing in her condition, and every time Kylo caught her at it through their bond, he was freshly  _ infuriated. _ The Alpha in him demanded her health and compliance, and even Kylo’s more rational side knew that she was potentially gravely injuring herself in the long term. They had several rather heated arguments, and it wasn’t until he threatened to show up in person and  _ tie her to the damn bed _ that finally seemed to take him seriously.

 

So it was during that meeting about - trade federations? Tariffs? He couldn’t be bothered - that he was  _ finally _ able to catch a glimpse of Rey lying down comfortably and reading from her datapad, instead of headfirst in a turbine. He was seated at the head of the table, surrounded by his top-ranking officials, and Rey, for all intents and purposes, appeared to be lounging casually on the ground by his feet.

It was an image that…  _ did _ things to him.  _ Kriff, _ he was glad for the conference table, it would not do for his officers to know what was happening under there right now. Kylo cleared his throat softly, keeping his posture facing Hux while his eyes darted down.

Rey froze, her cheeks pinkening as she met his gaze. “I - I did what you said,” she bit out haughtily. “I’ve been in bed  _ all day. _ I’m blaming you if I get bed sores, or die of boredom.”  

Kylo had to fight the small smile that threatened at the corners of his mouth. Pulling up a blank page on his datapad, he quickly wrote out a message, angling it slightly for Rey to read.

_ Good girl. Stay in bed. _

He could tell the second the words registered in her mind. First, she sat up a little straighter, her cheeks reddened even more as she squirmed slightly - then she went very still, and positively  _ glared _ at him.

“That’s - you’re -” she huffed, crossing her arms.  _ “Pervert.” _

Attempting to keep his face neutral, Kylo wrote on the datapad again.

_ What’s so perverted about it?  _

“You know damn well, Ben Solo! It  _ shouldn’t _ be, but you’re - you’re doing that  _ Alpha thing.” _

_ I managed to convey an Alpha command with my handwriting, thousands of lightyears away? I’m flattered that you think so. Care to explain where you’re getting these ideas? _

“R-research.”

 

She had made that dubious claim before. Her eyes gave her away immediately, darting to her datapad then back to him. Glancing around the room to make sure no one was paying attention, Kylo concentrated in the Force  _ just _ enough to push through to her side for a second.

A second was all it took to snatch her datapad, and close off the Bond.

He could practically  _ feel _ her fury as she attempted to re-open their connection, but he wasn’t going to let her do that just yet. It was taking a lot of concentration to steal something from her end and keep it here while keeping  _ her _ out; he had to use his time wisely. This was a golden opportunity - he could see what, exactly, his Omega was interested in, what she had been up to all day-

Porn.

Kylo’s hand froze. He was terrified to even touch the screen, for fear of accidentally hitting play on _ “Omega housewife begs for pool boy’s knot” _ in front of his entire council. But leaving the tab open seemed to be inviting disaster.  _ Very _ carefully, he tapped on the next tab - _ “2 wet Omegas for very lucky Alpha repairman” _  -  _ kriff, _ somehow  _ he _ felt humiliated, eyes widening as he tried to exit -  _ “Omega slut chokes on massive Alpha cock” - _ was it  _ all _ like this?

This was…  _ not _ what he meant to do. When she said  _ research, _ he very much assumed she would be doing the same as him - finding scientific journals, peer-reviewed studies, perhaps some classical poems and literature. In light of their interaction, he  _ fully _ intended to tease her by pulling up a study he found about the history of syntax in Alpha-Omega dialogue, which somehow managed to take every  _ ‘good girl’  _ and  _ ‘Alpha please’  _ and make it into a  _ laughably _ dry article. Perhaps he would find some useful links she had looked at about her personal hobbies or interests that he could use in his attempts to woo her.

But no. Porn. Really, really  _ terrible _ porn.

_ Kriff, _ was this all she knew? Was everything she knew about Alphas and Omegas - from  _ holoporn? _

No wonder she was so defensive around him, she was probably certain he was going to -  _ stars, _ he just remembered her face when he threatened to tie her to her bed. Even her face just now - she hadn’t looked particularly hot and bothered, more - worried? _ Scared? _ Well, he certainly would be if he was an Omega female seeing these kinds of videos. Surely his mother had at least explained some of it to her - but then again, Leia Organa was an Alpha female, who ended up married to a deadbeat, lucky smuggler who carried more Alpha markers than he would ever admit. Her knowledge of Omegas was probably limited at best.

Kylo knew he was no saint. When he was younger, he had more than indulged in these tawdry, cheap types of holoporn. But even as an impressionable teen, he knew it was almost all fake - it was easy to spot a forced knot when you had your own, after all. But Rey… From what he could tell, she literally went to the first holoporn site she could find, and just started clicking on any link with the word “Omega.” Of course she ended up with nothing but non-dimorph fetish porn - it would be up to him to direct her toward more… _ Classy  _ erotica.

Desperately trying to keep his face neutral in front of his officers, Kylo pulled up a new tab, methodically navigating to a site that had been an old favorite from before Rey was in his life. Now that he knew she was an Omega… Well, hopefully he wouldn’t have to spend too much time on this site, if he played his cards right. 

As quickly as he could manage, he opened the Bond, dropped the datapad in front of a  _ furious _ -looking Rey, then closed it again, all the while keeping his eyes forward as he pretended to listen to Hux. 

The second this meeting was over, he was going to have a  _ long _ talk with Rey.

 

* * *

  
No more than a minute elapsed when the datapad  _ plopped _ down onto the mattress beside her.

Rey was absolutely livid. The - the  _ nerve _ of him! Ordering her about, turning her on, stealing her datapad, and now almost  _ certainly _ judging her life choices.

Here she was, recovering from surgery that  _ he _ pushed her to get done, staying in bed like  _ he _ demanded, all because of hormones that evidently  _ he _ activated or whatever - this was as bad as when she had her first period, just before the surgery. She wanted to strangle him and cry at the same time, fully convinced that none of this Alpha and Omega nonsense would have ever happened to her if Kylo - Ben -  _ whoever _ had never entered her life.

 

She leaned forward to pick up the datapad, wincing in preparation for whatever judgmental bit of advice he had left for her - because if there was one thing Rey had learned about Ben Solo the Alpha in the last two weeks, it was that he was  _ full _ of advice she never asked for. He even had the gall to suggest ways of coping with her menstrual pain (and  _ kriff _ if they weren’t effective - not that she’d ever admit it to him). 

So she braced herself, fully expecting a note along the lines of  _ “You depraved, horny Omega,” _ or something similar to the endless porn dialogue she had been hearing all day- 

_ Don’t let those videos give Alphas a bad name. Please give this a try instead. -B _

He had left the message floating on top of a different Holonet site, which already had a completely different look to the ones she was on before. It was stark and clean, a few file links and images in the middle, and with none of the _ “ALPHA SIZE DICK IN FIVE DAYS!” _ ads along the borders. Pushing his note away, she saw the video he had queued, simply titled  _ “O/F/H surprises A/M/H after deployment.” _

Curious in spite of herself, Rey tapped on the video.

Already, this was nothing like what she had seen before. There was no airbrushed, naked Twilek dancing in front of the camera to entice her audience, nor did it smash cut to some poor woman choking on a cock with tears rolling down her cheeks. Instead, a very normal-looking woman with dark hair and beige skin, wearing nothing but a plain bathrobe, was scurrying about an apartment bedroom, arranging pillows, blankets, and candles  _ just _ so, every now and then glancing at a chronometer and adjusting the angle of the camera. 

 

_ There was a knocking sound, and the woman’s face instantly brightened as she practically sprinted toward a door just on the edge of the camera’s frame. Ripping the door open, the woman gave a slightly undignified squeak as she jumped on a tall, broad-chested man with pale skin and brown hair, using her legs to straddle his waist as she covered him in kisses. The man chuckled, only needing to use a single arm to keep the woman braced against him as he dropped a heavy-sounding bag on the ground. He walked closer to the bed, his free hand combing through her hair gently. _

_ “Well it’s good to see you too, Natsa.  _ **_Stars_ ** _ I missed you-” he buried his face in her neck, a soft sigh coming out of him. “Oh, darling - you’re - why didn’t you tell me?” _

_ “I wanted it to be a surprise. I haven’t had a heat since you left, Sen - I went off the suppressants last week - and this morning - gods - please,  _ **_please-”_ **

_ “Don’t worry, Natsa. I’ll take care of you. We’ve got maybe ten minutes before my rut kicks in, and I fully intend to spend every second of it with my tongue in you. Now be a good Omega and lie back on the bed.”  _

_ The woman - Natsa, evidently, scrambled to obey, falling back on the sheets, her robe opening up to fully expose her. She bit her lip, her dark eyes trained on the man as she watched him slowly undress with undisguised thirst. Her hand drifted toward the apex of her legs, circling her clit as she thrust her hips up. _

_ He paused as he unbuckled his belt, a small smile flashing across his face before he forced a more stern look. “Did I tell you that you could do that,  _ **_Omega?”_ **

_ Grinning, Natsa’s eyes darkened even more. “No you didn’t,  _ **_Sen.”_ **

_ He yanked his belt off in a single, smooth motion, approaching Natsa with hunger in his eyes. Seizing her ankle, he yanked her across the bed until her legs hung off the edge, Natsa squeaking, evidently in delight, as she was dragged toward him. _

_ “If I didn’t know better, I would think you were being difficult on  _ **_purpose,_ ** _ Omega. I would think you were  _ **_trying_ ** _ to get punished,” he whispered gently, massaging her ankle still in his hand. “And what happens when you’re not being a good girl?” _

_ She whined, her thighs shaking from his soft words alone. “I - I don’t get fucked. Please, Sen -  _ **_please_ ** _ Alpha, I’ll be good, I’ll do whatever you want-” _

_ “Of course you will. And right now, I want you to lie back while I do whatever I want to this sweet pussy of yours. Can you do that for me, Omega?” _

_ “Yes, Alpha,” Natsa breathed, her whole body practically shaking in obvious anticipation. _

 

With a trembling finger, Rey paused the video. Somehow, this was  _ infinitely _ less explicit than anything she watched earlier - but at the same time… Her hand worked its way under the waistband of her underwear, tentatively touching herself-

She was soaked. 

She didn’t feel pain, she didn’t feel gross, she didn’t feel like she had been watching a horror vid - she felt…  _ hunger _ , a desperate longing unlike anything she had ever experienced _.  _ Compared to the holoporn she saw before,  the interactions between these two felt a thousand times more intriguing and just... _real._ Rey understood desperation like that, longing to have someone - but it was their playful interchanges, spiked with very heated, loaded exchanges that made her throb just _thinking_ about it. Shutting her eyes, she slowly stroked at herself, replaying some of the words she had just heard in her head.  _ ‘Good Omega.’ ‘I’ll take care of you -’  _ how did such simple words have such a visceral impact on her? And if she was imagining the words came from a deeper, softer, painfully more familiar voice… Well, she was too distracted to let that bother her. 

She hadn’t tried this since the surgery. Rey was no stranger to pleasuring herself, but something was  _ different. _ Her practiced, reliable strokes weren’t building her up the way they always did - she had always been quite proud of her ability to bring herself to climax efficiently. Instead, she felt empty, her body clutching down on nothing. She had never needed anything more than teasing at her clit but now, apparently...  

Rey bit her lip, her eyes slowly opening to focus on the inconspicuous black box on the shelf beside her bed. It was a post-surgery gift from a winking Jessika Pava, who had scurried away as soon as Rey accepted it, leaving a familiar scent in her wake. 

She wasn’t dumb. And it made complete sense, especially among the pilots who perhaps were a little more in tune with the Force than most, that there were Alphas and Omegas among the Resistance. With Rey “out,” so to speak once she had stopped taking her contraceptive pills, she had been on the receiving end of many understanding nods and lewd winks over the last week, but Jessika was the only one to actually  _ give _ her something. She had peeked at it once, closing the box in mortification as soon as she realized what it was, but now…

Her body chose that moment to throb greedily, desperately seeking out something to clutch down on. Growling in frustration, Rey opened the box, tossing the brightly-colored packaging to the side as she examined the object in her hands. The toy was smooth and black, its phallus-like shape unmistakable, though considerably smaller than anything Rey had seen in those…  _ other _ videos.

Closing her eyes again, Rey let her mind wander as she sat back against her pillows, imagining a vague, shadowy lover moving over her as she slowly teased her entrance with the toy, gently pushing in a little at a time. The experience was certainly different, but she still didn’t feel her actions building to any kind of climax. Frustrated, she pressed her face to her pillow, her imagined lover taking on more details, his pale, massive hands gripping her hips as he fucked into her slowly, a hoarse voice whispering  _ “Good girl, Rey. You’re being such a good little Omega for me, taking my cock so well. It’s like you were  _ **_made_ ** _ for me.”   _

“A-Alpha… Ben,  _ please.”  _ she begged, her fantasy not enough,  _ still _ needing more.

Somewhere during her panting, _whining_ at the feeling of unfulfillment, Rey completely missed the telltale shift in the Force. Her squinted-shut eyes did not see the dark figure descend upon her, his hand hovering over hers. But his _scent…_ _His_ scent enveloped her, heady and tantalizing. She gasped it in greedily, her body throbbing as it reacted to his presence.

 

“I’m not going to wait for another invitation, Rey.  _ Let me help you.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE GOT PORN SIGN!!!! (oh god I have corrupted a MST3K reference. Forgive me.)
> 
> Sorry this update took so long - like I said, I really wanted to move this along quickly, so this underwent a few rewrites until I could get these two where I wanted them. In-character, in-universe ABO is hard, y'all, but I'm glad people seem to be enjoying it and don't think I'm insane.
> 
> Thank you all so much for the fantastic comments, I have loved the reception of this weird-ass fic so far!


	5. I Would Do Anything For Love (Yes Even That)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PREVIOUSLY:
> 
> “A-Alpha… Ben, please.” she begged, her fantasy not enough, still needing more.
> 
> Somewhere during her panting, whining at the feeling of unfulfillment, Rey completely missed the telltale shift in the Force. Her squinted-shut eyes did not see the dark figure descend upon her, his hand hovering over hers. But his scent… His scent enveloped her, heady and tantalizing. She gasped it in greedily, her body throbbing as it reacted to his presence.
> 
> “I’m not going to wait for another invitation, Rey. Let me help you.”

 

“Wh-uuuuaaaAA _AAGHH!”_

Well, that was hardly the reaction Kylo was aiming for.

When he felt Rey’s frustration through their bond, he had no choice but to respond, leaving his meeting with a panicked _‘I should go’_ that seemed to utterly baffle his officers. In the privacy of his quarters, he was able to concentrate and find her in quite the state - legs askew, forehead beaded with sweat, her arm moving under the sheets conspicuously, the irritated furrow of her brows - he didn’t exactly need to extend his senses to figure out what she was doing. So when he _did_ allow himself to fully enter her space, it was overwhelming. Her captivating scent, her tumultuous thoughts, the tension of a release she couldn’t quite grasp. And then - _“Alpha, Ben,_ ** _please-”_** Kylo couldn’t stop himself.

Perhaps approaching her the way he did with her eyes still shut wasn’t the best idea.

Rey had frozen on her cot, her eyes wide in horror. “What - what are _you -_ get _out,_ I almost called for _security!”_

Backing away slightly, Kylo held up his hands in a mock surrender. “I seem to recall that my presence was _requested.”_

“I - I-” she sputtered, her cheeks bleeding red. “I asked - I said _Ben,_ not _you.”_

“I can be Ben for you.”

She gave a small, shuddering gasp. It was just enough to make her arm twitch, causing her whole body to react, her mouth hanging open as her breaths quickened. Kylo smirked, edging close to her once again.

“I’ll rephrase. You asked for your Alpha. I _will_ help you, Omega. Do you accept?”

Rey’s eyelids fluttered as she inhaled deeply, her pupils expanding until he could barely see the amber brown of her eyes. Kylo smirked - he didn’t even need to use an Alpha command-

“A-accept?” she seemed to shake herself from her stupor, her eyes freshly angered. “ _No,_ I do not need your _‘help,’_ you _ass!”_

...apparently, the smirk was a misstep. Presumptive, he realized. Kylo was undeterred, but he’d pump the brakes, so to speak, and try a different method. He moved to sit beside her on the cot, the mattress dipping under his weight. “My apologies, Rey. I just assumed-”

“Well you assumed wrong,” she huffed, yet her body subconsciously angled toward him. “This is mortifying enough. First, you steal my datapad, then you criticize my holonet viewing, and then you - you - I don’t know why I’m even _talking_ to you right now after that - that _invasion.”_

“You reached out to me, Rey, and I’m _more_ than willing to help, if that hasn’t been clear. You seemed to be having - ah - a bit of a crisis. Or not, depending on how you define the word.”

Rey let loose a rather undignified noise, as though she was trying desperately to suppress a snort of laughter. She slowly shook her head, the small smile at the corner of her mouth disappearing. “I shouldn’t need - I _know_ what I’m doing, it’s just - ever since the surgery, ever since all - _this_ \- it’s… _different.”_

“That’s not hard to believe. Your body has undergone a lot of changes in the last couple of weeks.”

Scowling, Rey glared at him. “And I suppose _you_ just know everything about me, as usual?”

“I’ve been pretty forthcoming about the fact that this is all very new for me. Theoretically? Yes, I’ve done my research. Between your scent and the Force, I know _exactly_ what your body needs-” -she gave an involuntary shiver at his words- “-but in practice? We’re just going to have to figure this out together. If you’ll allow it.”

Chewing her bottom lip, Rey seemed to process his words as she leaned closer to him, her eyes traveling over his form as she took in deep breaths. Knowing that simply the sight of him was enough to drive her to distraction - Kylo couldn’t stop the Alpha command that fell from his mouth-

_“Let me help you.”_

Rey _shuddered,_ her chin tilting back ever so slightly as she seemed to give in to his words.  Concentrating on not simply letting instinct take over was _extremely_ difficult. Every part of her - her scent, her body, her voice - called to the most primal, powerful part of him to claim her, mark her, _mate_ her. If his reactions to her were this dramatic through the bond, millions of lightyears away, perhaps it was for the best that they were not _physically_ close until they had worked through the minor, finer points of their relationship. Starting with the fact that each of them were practically figureheads for opposite sides of a disastrous war.   

But such an inconsequential detail was not going to stop the Supreme Leader of the First Order from burying his nose in the scalp of the Last Jedi of the Resistance, breathing in deeply. He pulled her closer to him, bracing her to his side as he slowly ran his fingers across the tops of her shoulders.

“Stars… _Ben,”_ she whispered, the tip of her nose just barely grazing the column of his neck. Kylo’s control was already deteriorating when he suddenly felt the warm, slick heat of Rey’s tongue along his jugular, just millimeters from his gland.

His restraint unraveled to a single, tense thread.   

 _“Omega,”_ he growled, his fingers going from gentle, soothing strokes to firmly gripping at her shoulders, breathing deeply to calm himself - which, of course, just filled his nose and lungs with her scent even more. He _had_ to have control. “You _can’t_ \- I know this is new to you, but unless you want me to - just… _Please,_ Rey.”

A whine that cut to the core of him came from Rey’s lips as she shrank away from him. “I - I’m sorry, Alpha, I didn’t mean to - _please-”_

Kylo couldn’t stop his groan at her response, calling him _Alpha_ \- so classically Omega in her eagerness to please. But that wasn’t Rey. He was sure he would bring her back out again, whether through his next inevitable misstep, or when she finally snapped and smacked his face for his presumption in this whole situation. But for now, she was _his._

“Shh, it’s all right. Just let me take care of you.” Moving to sit behind her, he framed her tiny shoulders between his as he leaned her back into his chest. He could feel her small, relieved sigh, her body relaxing into his.

“So, Rey,” once again, he began by slowly tracing his fingers across her shoulders, his right hand creeping down her arm. “Show me what you were doing.”

She froze. “I - I-”

“There’s no reason to be embarrassed. Go on, just pretend like I’m not here-”

“Of _course_ this is embarrassing! And I can’t _possibly_ pretend you’re not here when it was - it was thinking about _you_ that got me like this in the first place!”

 

Well, that was quick. Gone was the shying Omega, and the snarling Rey he knew was right back where she belonged. But it didn’t matter, her words had aroused both his ego and his body to near-dangerous levels, his head in an absolute haze. _The thought of you was turning on your Omega beyond her control_. With a barely muffled groan, Kylo let his head fall forward to the junction of her shoulder and neck, taking an appreciative inhale before letting himself taste her skin for the very first time.

At first, Rey stiffened, startled by the sensation of his lips on her neck. But, slowly, she gave in, her spine softening as she sank deeper into his embrace. Even through the bond, it was… _divine,_ and if the noises coming from Rey were any indication, she was now quite well distracted.

Distracted enough that she didn’t realize that his hand was still slowly traveling down her arm, where she held the toy. His other hand slowly pulled the sheet back to reveal her bare waist, her hips-

 _“Show me,”_ he commanded once again.

Whining, Rey let her head fall to his shoulder, finally seeming to fully surrender. His massive hand covered her own, guiding them toward her core. Closing her eyes in - shame? frustration? arousal? - she pressed their hands forward, entering herself with short, slow strokes.

Kylo had to hold back his chuckle. Of _course_ she was bereft and unsatisfied - her body needed more than these tentative, teasing presses of a phallus that was almost laughably undersized. But he could make this work. He hoped.

Shifting them slightly, his other hand snaked its way down her torso, his thumb pressing gently just below her navel as his other fingers stretched forward. _Kriff,_ he was glad he had done as much research as he had, gently spanning his fingers to part her folds, slowly applying pressure until she _gasped,_ bucking up into his hand. His other hand urged her to make longer, deeper strokes, pressing ever upward as her hips began to sway in rhythm to the pattern they established together.

“There we go… You’re doing so well, Rey. Such a good girl for me.” He licked a long, wide swath of her neck, moaning at the taste of her. “Just let me know, Omega. _Scream_ for me if you have to-”

 _“Yes,_ Ben, Alpha - _please_ make me come-”

“THAT WOULD BE INADVISABLE AT THIS TIME.”

 

...no. _No._ Surely not…

 

It was.

 

“TRIGGERING AN ORGASM IN AN OMEGA FEMALE CLOSE TO HEAT WHILE IN PROXIMITY TO AN ALPHA MALE HAS A [ 1 IN 15 ] CHANCE OF TRIGGERING A PREMATURE HEAT.

PATIENT REY IS UNDER MEDICAL ADVICE TO ALLOW AN ORDINARY HEAT TO PASS BEFORE INITIATING ANY UNUSUAL ACTIVITY.

A PREMATURE HEAT TYPICALLY REQUIRES THE PHYSICAL PRESENCE OF AN ALPHA MALE BUT SUBJECT: ASS HAT HAS PROVEN THIS IRRELEVANT DUE TO UNUSUAL FORCE-SENSITIVITY.”

Dr. Ball had some thoughts on the situation at hand, so to speak.

 

No voice in existence could have possibly turned Kylo off faster. His hands _shot_ away from Rey, moving to re-cover her with the sheet as the droid hovered forward menacingly. Kylo sat back and glared, once again ready to assault the former torture droid at the slightest indication that it meant Rey any harm.

Rey’s eyes went from heavy-lidded and rapturous to wide and mortified. “Oh, _kriff,_ I swore I switched him off-”

“Subject: _Ass hat?_ Really, Rey?”

“Well, he had questions about you, and I was working on him right after _you_ told me I needed to drink more water when I was having my menses.”

_“I was right!”_

“Still an ass hat.”

Rey shuffled away from him on the cot until she was mostly obscured by the sheets, clearly uncomfortable under the gaze of Dr. Ball’s singular, seemingly judgmental eye. Kylo had no such reservations, refusing to adjust his disheveled appearance as he sat on the edge of the bed, arms crossed defensively even though he was well aware the droid was not able to see him.

“JUDGING BY PATIENT: REY’S CURRENT REACTIONS, SUBJECT: ASS HAT IS PRESENT IN THE METAPHYSICAL PLANE.

IS THIS CORRECT?”

Perhaps the droid was more perceptive than he gave it credit for. It was an ex-torture droid, after all.

“Yes… technically he’s here. What do you want, Dr. Ball? I told you I’d work on you more later, but we’re still waiting for that chip.”

“COLLECTION OF SEMINAL FLUID FROM SUBJECT: ASSHAT WOULD BE HIGHLY BENEFICIAL IN FUTURE TREATMENTS.

QUERY: WOULD PATIENT: REY BE ABLE TO OBTAIN A SAMPLE?”

 

 _That_ was hardly what either of them expected to hear.

 _“No!”_ Rey shouted, clearly horrified.

Kylo shared none of her misgivings. “Huh,” his mind pieced possibilities together quickly. He had stolen her datapad, but that took significant concentration to keep on his end. Ages ago, there was the spray of the ocean from her end as he stood alone in the hangar of the Supremacy, which lingered after the bond closed. Evidently, the Force seemed to have no problems letting certain things… _come_ between them through the bond. Though they hadn’t quite gotten that far before being _rudely interrupted._

She cut her eyes at him, livid. “Don’t you _dare-”_

“But, hypothetically, wouldn’t it be interesting-”

Rey made an irritated gesture with her hand, cutting him off as she gathered more of the sheets around herself, twisting her fingers in the cloth. “Dr. Ball, what treatments are you talking about?”

“ENDOMETRIAL GROWTHS AND ASSOCIATED PAIN WILL RETURN IF LEFT UNTREATED.

LONG-TERM PLANS FOR PAIN ARE NEEDED.”

“Right, you told me that before, but why would you need his… his - _sample?”_

“ALPHA SEMINAL FLUIDS HAVE BEEN PROVEN BENEFICIAL IN OMEGA PAIN TREATMENT.

TREATMENTS COULD BE ARTIFICIALLY PRODUCED FROM SUBJECT: ASS HAT’S SAMPLE.”

“Fine, but-”

“ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF PAIN RELIEF HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED.

SUBJECT: ASS HAT’S NON-PHYSICAL PROXIMITY IS PROBLEMATIC IN MOST PAIN TREATMENT OPTIONS.

THOUGH ARTIFICIAL TREATMENTS ARE NOT AS EFFECTIVE - ACQUISITION AND IMPLANTATION OF SEMINAL FLUID COULD POSSIBLY PREVENT FUTURE PAIN.

IDEALLY THESE ARTIFICIAL TREATMENTS WOULD RESULT IN PREGNANCY - THOUGH IT WOULD TAKE MULTIPLE CYCLES AND INJECTIONS.”

It was an intriguing concept. “Well, I wouldn’t say that sounds _ideal,_ but whatever we need to do to help you out-”

“I - I - I can’t believe I’m - _artificial or not,_ I am _not_ letting you _impregnate me!”_

“Why not?” Kylo countered, his face somewhat hurt.

_“How is that even a question?!”_

“We talked about this before, Rey - I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make sure you’re free of this pain-”

“Of _course_ you’d say that, you’re not the one who would be pregnant! All you would have to do is _get off,_ then I’m stuck with Dr. Ball _injecting me with your-”_

“PHYSICAL INTERCOURSE WITH SUBJECT: ASS HAT DURING A HEAT RESULTING IN PREGNANCY WOULD ELIMINATE PAIN SYMPTOMS.”

“And _you!_ You’re supposed to be on _my_ side! Switch _off;_ and stop suggesting all of these - these _horrible_ things!”

Kylo’s eyes, previously amused and sparking with humor, _darkened,_ his face falling as he suddenly looked much older. “ _‘Horrible?’_ Is - is the thought of - am I really that awful to you, Rey? You don’t think we would be-”

 _“MMMMMMF!”_ Rey lifted a pillow to her head, evidently screaming into it. Slowly, she pulled it away from her face, still looking very much agitated. She met and held Kylo’s eyes, seeming to beg that he understand. _“No,_ Ben - can’t you see how ridiculous this is? You - me - the galaxy - and you want to bring a _child_ into this? We barely know each other, we’re _at_ _war_ in case you forgot, I’m living in an underground bunker, _you’re the Supreme Leader of the First Order-”_

“Fine.”

_“...’fine?’”_

“Is that all? What you just said. Those are the only factors that are keeping us apart?”

“Ben, you’re not - _...what?”_

“Ten days, Rey. Wait… no, I can do it in six.”

 _“What_ are you talking about?”

“Six days. Give me six days, and we will no longer be at war, and I will no longer be Supreme Leader of the First Order. You won’t have to live in a bunker, and I’ll take you whatever you desire. Then we can get to _know_ each other all you want. Does that satisfy your demands?”

Speechless, Rey’s mouth hung open for a good few seconds. Shaking herself, she reached forward, pressing the back of her hand to his forehead.

“You’re unwell. You _must_ be, to say such - such-”

Kylo captured her hand in his own, twining their fingers together so she couldn’t escape him so easily. “Is really it so hard to believe, Rey?”

Her eyes were wet as she looked to him imploringly - _“Yes.”_

With a frustrated sigh, Kylo placed his other hand on top of hers.

“I offered you the galaxy once. But if what you want me to do is tear it all down instead - if that’s what it takes to make you mine… I’m _more_ than willing to oblige.  Because the Force? The First Order? The _galaxy?_ None of it means _anything_ if I don’t have you by my side.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I knew y'all were going to love me or hate me at the end of this one, but hopefully the return of unexpected-fan-favorite Dr. Ball made up for his untimely arrival...
> 
> Sorry it was so long between updates! I'm a teacher, and the beginning of the school year is hell. What can I say? Footnotes will probably update before this does, but it shouldn't be too long.
> 
> Thank you all so much for your wonderful, hilarious comments. It still baffles me that so many people are enjoying this utterly weird trash, but I do enjoy writing it, and I really enjoy seeing everyone's reactions!
> 
> Oh yeah, I'm ms-camucia on tumblr, though I think most of y'all already found me on there, lol.


	6. Fast-Track Your Way To Love (How To Kidnap Your Enemies And Make Them Work For You)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this all in about four hours, and am quite tipsy, so it is from a perspective that is perhaps one you didn’t expect to see in this fic. Enjoy!

It started with a communications blackout.

Of course, there was a precedent here. Every time there was a change of leadership in the First Order, the blackout would coincide with a complete withdrawal of forces as internal affairs were settled. The troops were pulled in as expected, and the galaxy held its breath - but when operations resumed as usual less than 24 hours later, and no announcement of a change in regime came, the actions of the First Order were met with a collective exhale and shrug from the galaxy. Everyone assumed nothing of any real importance had taken place.

Then it was the brutally efficient, bloodless takeover of Tanaab.

This action was met with initial panic, as the agriworld provided so much of the galaxy’s much-needed foodstuffs. But trade routes continued as usual, passing through the blockade established by the First Order with barely more than a few minutes’ time added to the shipping process. Once again, the galaxy seemed completely willing to write this action off as an eccentricity from the new Supreme Leader, who was apparently the type to publically give medical frigates to his enemies, after all.

The purchase of a massive swath of extraordinarily pricy land in Naboo’s lake country was either deemed as ostentatious or beautiful, depending on who you asked. It was an action that would normally have gone unnoticed, but the First Order’s every move these days was under a microscope - particularly actions that could be seen as… _romantic._

A certain narrative of the Supreme Leader of the First Order as a lovestruck Alpha desperately seeking out his flighty Resistance Omega had captured the galaxy by storm. The organization once spoken of in horrified whispers as the ones who annihilated the Hosnian system was now openly discussed as the public speculated wildly about the trysts of its new, mysterious leader. And once again, another action by the First Order in the space of a handful of days was dismissed as nothing truly worthy of concern.

 

So it wasn’t until Finn was kidnapped in the dead of the night that he was finally forced to acknowledge - yes, the First Order was really up to something… _weird._

Hell, he didn’t even know that he _had_ been kidnapped for a frankly embarrassing amount of time.

 

When he woke, he stretched and yawned as usual, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he blearily forced himself out of bed, keeping his eyes as squinted shut as he could, not ready to face the horrible artificial light of day. He shuffled his way across the room, standing in front of a very much solid wall for a good minute before realizing that the entryway to his bathroom was missing.

“Someone moved the door,” he mumbled to himself sleepily. What was _wrong_ with him? Everything seemed off, and it felt like he hadn’t gotten any real rest all night. Glancing longingly at the bed, a drowsy smile spread across his face as he had a _wonderful_ idea.

Just as his head sank back into the pillow and the crisp sheets were pulled up by his face, Finn was startled into horrible reality by a voice that he _very_ much could have gone his whole life without ever hearing again.

“Get up, Traitor, and put on that helmet - we’re overthrowing the First Order.”

 

No. _No._ This was _not_ happening. This had to be some sort of weird, horrible nightmare for _those_ words to come from _that_ person’s mouth. Finn nodded to himself in agreement, burying his face further into the pillow, fully prepared to ignore this strange dream.

“...really? That’s what you’re - you’re _really_ trying to go back to sleep, aren’t you?” -the sound of someone sitting heavily in a chair, an exasperated sigh- “This might have to wait a while. I may have been a bit overzealous in knocking him out.”

“SUBJECT: FINN HAS A HEART RATE OF [65] AND BLOOD PRESSURE OF [110/70].  
SUBJECT: FINN DOES NOT DISPLAY ANY SIGNS OF CONCUSSION OR NEUROGENIC SHOCK.  
SUBJECT: FINN IS CURRENTLY - 22 HOURS - OFF TAKING HIS OMEGA SUPPRESANTS.”

“Switch off, I didn’t ask _you._ You’re only here because I didn’t trust you alone with Rey, and she’d be upset if I deactivated you.”

“SUBJECT: ASSHAT HAS PREVIOUSLY REQUESTED MONITORING SERVICES FOR SUBJECT: FINN.”

“So what if I did? That doesn’t mean _you_ need to tell me his perfectly normal blood pressure every two minutes. Kriff, I might have to add another couple of hours to the plan. He’s hardly going to lead a revolution half asleep.”

This dream had now become too bizarre to ignore. Finn propped himself up on his elbows and forced his eyes to open all the way, wholly unprepared for the sight before him.

 

Kylo Ren was slumped over in an office chair, his head propped up by his long, gloved fingers as he stared down his prominent nose at Finn. Next to him, a black torture droid hovered threateningly, though it looked a bit worn for a First Order droid - several of its menacing appendages hung limply below its spherical body, clearly broken.

“This - this isn’t happening.” Finn whispered hoarsely.

“I assure you, FN-2187, it _is.”_ Kylo stated with more than a little boredom in his voice. “You’re on the Finalizer, and you’re going to help me.”

“Help you? Are you - are you _serious_ right now? _Me._ Help _you.”_ Finn wrested himself from the bedsheets to point an accusing finger, shaking in fury- “You tried to kill Rey! And you almost killed _me!”_

“But I didn’t. And I never had any intention of killing Rey.” Kylo looked oddly thoughtful, the soft expression on his face completely alien to Finn. “Honestly, I didn’t really mean to kill you, either. I had seen your combatives during training, you should have been prepared.”

“I cannot believe I am having this conversation right now.”

Kylo had the audacity to look uncomfortable, and to _keep talking._ Like this was _normal._ “Look - until recently, I was completely unaware of the pathetic state of affairs that was the Resistance’s medical capabilities. Had I known it at the time, and been a little less compromised myself, perhaps I would have taken it a little easier on you. But you let your guard down.”

_“I am permanently scarred because of you!”_

The Supreme Leader of the First Order sighed pettily. “Have you taken advantage of the frigate I sent? You should. Because this?” Kylo gestured to the thin scar that ran down the side of his face - _“This_ looked like thick cut raw nerf steak before I had it dealt with. And I could have had it removed entirely, if I wanted to.”

Curious in spite of himself, he couldn’t stop from blurting out the question- “Why didn’t you?”

“Because Rey gave it to me.” Kylo sighed - _dreamily,_ Finn shuddered at the thought. Once again, he was thrown by the reactions of Snoke’s former apprentice; he didn’t think he was _capable_ of such emotions.

Kylo glared at him, evidently reading his mind. “You’re hardly one to judge. I can’t see it, but I can tell you’ve been marked by _your_ intended. Otherwise this whole thing would be moving along a lot faster.” He sighed, raking his fingers through his hair. “So you found your Alpha then, did you? I hope you put up a good fight.”

Well, now he was just - bewildered. _“Marked?_ You mean - that’s - that’s private, first off, and no, I haven’t been - _why are we even talking about this?”_

“Why am I asking about your Alpha? Because that has everything to do with us overthrowing the First Order. Who is it? Is it that -” Kylo’s face twisted in an ugly sneer _“-pilot?”_

“I don’t _have_ an Alpha, not that it’s any of your business. So what if it _was_ Poe?”

Kylo looked… _troubled?_ “You’re serious? But you're - does _no one_ respect tradition anymore?”

In a blur of movement, Kylo crossed the room to stand _uncomfortably close_ to Finn, staring directly into his eyes. Finn couldn’t help himself, he shrank back on the bed, feeling a nagging urge to bare his throat. Continuing his unblinking stare, Kylo inhaled deeply, looking thoughtful once again.

“Ah. So she just scented you. Alpha female, but weak - it happened some time ago, and her expression isn’t strong. She _did_ best you in combat though, but you were probably still recovering. Nothing to be ashamed about; even the strongest Omegas will submit to a weaker Alpha if they genuinely like the person. She’s small, dark haired, got a smell of engine grease about her-”

_“What the hell are you talking about?”_

“SUBJECT: FINN DISPLAYS CHARACTERISTICS OF A SCENTED OR PARTIALLY CLAIMED OMEGA.  
SUBJECT: ASSHAT WILL HAVE LIMITED CAPABILITIES IN USING ALPHA COMMANDS TO SUBDUE OR DIRECT SUBJECT: FINN.”

“Well it’s a good thing I didn’t intend to use a Command on him in the first place, since it kind of undermines everything we need to do here. Wasn’t even planning on using the Force.” Kylo muttered, stepping away from Finn to directly address the strange droid. “And I thought I told _you_ to switch off!”

The droid gave an oddly sad whimper as it drooped, clearly powering down. Standing to his feet, Finn stiffened his spine as he glared up at Kylo Ren, undeterred by the still-nagging sensation about his gut. _Submit. Obey._  He shook off the feeling, determined to find out what insidious plot was _really_ at hand. “Tell me what is going on here, or so help me-”

“...are you going somewhere with that threat?” Kylo snapped, collapsing in the chair once again, looking exhausted. “I was being serious before, about taking down the First Order. I figured you would be thrilled at the chance, since you’ve already proven so adept at it in the past. But apparently I have to explain _everything.”_

“Please do,”  Finn sneered, crossing his arms over his chest. He couldn’t believe he was even entertaining the thought of this, but maybe, just _maybe…_

“I assume you’ve heard that I’m courting Rey?”

Finn rolled his eyes. “Is that what you’re calling it?”

Kylo returned the glare. “Yes. And she gave certain conditions for me to meet in order to continue pursuing her properly.”

“Did she? Because from what she’s told me, it seems like all you’ve done is invade her privacy.”

 _There_ was the fury that was more of what Finn expected of Kylo Ren. “What is between Rey and me is ancient and sacred, _Traitor,_ and you’d do well not to speak of it in such a way. We are Alpha and Omega, we were chosen and joined by the Force, and soon, we will be much more. It was not by my design that we were bound or that I feel her pain, _but I wouldn’t trade it for the galaxy.”_

He sat up straighter, a glint in his eye. “In fact, I _am_ trading the galaxy, just for the _opportunity_ to be with her. I would shape the galaxy as she wishes because it is within my power as Supreme Leader to do so, just as it is my will to forsake that very same power. And for her, _I will.”_

Finn’s mouth hung open at the implication of those words, and the truth that even _he_ could feel in them. He sat back on the bed and clutched his head in his hands, his mind racing at what he just heard the Supreme Leader of the First Order so boldly proclaim. “All right. Let’s say… Let’s say you’re telling the truth. That you’re willing to throw away everything you have for Rey-”

“I am.”

Finn glared up at Kylo’s earnest expression, annoyed at the interruption, but grateful for the apparent sincerity. _“As I was saying…_ If you’re trading in being Supreme Leader for being with Rey, do you plan to just - what, _dismantle_ the First Order? The galaxy would be in complete disarray. There’s no way you could do this without major bloodshed, and chaos in the fallout.”

Kylo scoffed. “Do you really think I went into this without a plan? I know how we can do this, and it will be to everyone’s benefit. Well…” the barest hint of a smirk played around Kylo’s mouth as his eyes flashed. “To everyone’s benefit _but_ the highest ranking of First Order officers. Particularly the ones responsible for Starkiller - why else do you think we're back on the Finalizer? It’s time for the stormtroopers to rise up.”

 

Leaning forward, Finn rested his elbows on his knees. “All right, theoretically, I’m interested, but first - why me? How do I know this isn’t some elaborate trap where you’re trying to kill me again?”

Rolling his eyes, Kylo sighed. “If I wanted you dead, you would be. That goes for our duel on Starkiller as well. But moving past that, I needed you for two reasons. The first and most important being that Rey values your friendship, and trusts your opinion. If she sees that you worked with me to bring order to the galaxy…” Kylo gave a smug shrug of his shoulders before continuing. “It certainly can’t hurt to raise her opinion of me. Secondly, your status as an Omega and a former stormtrooper is _critical_ to setting off the chain of events that needs to occur.”

“You sort of implied that earlier.”

“I did. FN- _Finn,_ do you know _why_ you were selected as a stormtrooper?”

A troubled look came across Finn’s face, both at being addressed as his chosen name by _Kylo Ren,_ and also the fact that he had never given much thought to _why_ he was a stormtrooper - when thinking about his past, he had always been focused on the _when_ and _how._

“I thought so. I didn’t know either, not until very recently, when I did some research. With Rey’s… _troubles_ of late, I found myself wondering how you had never fully presented as a dimorph before Jakku. It seemed like something that should have happened ages ago, with the stormtroopers’ health as regimented and maintained as it is in the First Order - logically, you should have presented, then been put on suppresants. But you weren’t. You were in a semi-dormant Omega state until you and I interacted for the first time. Why do you think that is?”

A thousand thoughts came to Finn’s mind, each more horrifying than the last. “Omegas. The First Order… _They wanted Omegas as stormtroopers._ But - how? _Why?_ Isn’t it like a disaster waiting to happen?”

“Oh, the _how_ wasn’t difficult. Hux and his odious father before him have been monitoring genes and births in the galaxy for _decades._ If a child carried the correct markers at birth, they were immediately taken by the First Order. Even if it wasn’t a strong expression, any amount of Omega markers on the midichlorial strand was enough.”

“So… Hux. Hux wanted an army of Omegas. He wanted an army- _no.”_ Finn whispered, his mind numb with shock as he fit the final pieces together. _“He wanted an army that was biologically programmed to follow orders from Alphas.”_

 

“Exactly. First Order commanding officers are almost exclusively Alphas, even if their expression was weak. Just enough to compel even a semi-dormant Omega into compliance. Phasma was put in charge of the training program when it was discovered she was the Alpha with the strongest presentation the First Order had ever found. I was kept separated as often as possible, since my mere _presence_ would disrupt the order of things. Of course, _some_ officers have always used enhancers, though I never knew _why_ until finding out about this.”

“Hux?”

Kylo barked out a humorless laugh. “Hux uses more than anyone. Is that really surprising?”

Finn shook his head slowly in horror. “So the stormtroopers are all Omegas, and most of the commanding officers are Alphas. How are we _ever_ going to overthrow anything when we’re biologically compelled _not_ to, much less do it without getting innocent stormtroopers killed?”

Leaning toward Finn, Kylo’s face was positively diabolical. “If everything goes to plan, the stormtroopers won’t have to overthrow _anything._ The plan is already in motion - _you_ just have to set it off.”

Raising a skeptical brow, Finn couldn’t help but be intrigued. “What did you do?”

“Mind tricked the entire staff in charge of rations, had them swap in some new food to replace the medicated and drugged junk that was being given before. The Omegeas should start coming out of their dormant stage soon enough, and the stronger presenting Alphas will be completely unchecked.  _Everyone_ will have been off their suppresants for over 24 hours within the next day. All they need is a spark… and you’re going to be the one to set it off.”

“Okay, _how_ does this not end in bloodshed again?”

Kylo leaned back in the chair with a smug expression. “One strong, unmated Omega enters a command deck full of _dozens_ of unmated Alphas who just came off their suppresants for the first time in their lives. _You_ do the math.”

“And I’m the lucky Omega? So you _are_ trying to get me killed.”

He gave an exasperated sigh. “Does no one know how this works anymore? You don’t have a thing to fear. The first thing everyone on that command deck is going to do is start fighting each other to show you who the dominant one is, to prove who is worthy enough to claim you. You're a fairly powerful Omega - they'll fight to the death. And once you’ve set off that many sexually repressed Alpha officers? It’s going to start a _frenzy.”_

“So I get the officers to start fighting. What about the stormtroopers?”

Kylo gave a casual shrug. “Once they come off the dozens of sedatives and suppresants Hux was pumping into them-” Finn’s eyes bugged out in horror at this statement “-I figured that most of them wouldn’t want to stay. There’s been a shortage of Omegas in the galaxy for decades, we could just commandeer whatever ships are left and drop all of them off on Mandalore.”

“Mandalore? Why - no, no, you’re not saying -”

“Why not? There’s a reason there’s so much porn shot there.”

Finn covered his ears, staring blankly at the wall. “I’m not hearing this. I am not hearing Kylo Ren saying he’s leaving all of the First Order stormtroopers on Mandalore for some - some sort of Alpha and Omega _orgy.”_

“There’s no way that any of them will fall into heat that quickly after being on suppresants for so long - trust me, I know.” He sighed, glancing vaguely in the distance. _"Sure would have made my job a lot easier if she had a heat that quick,"_ he added in a mutter.

“Fine, but still - why Mandalore?”

“Mandalore, with their Alpha population, has been desperate for Omega immigrants for ages. Most planets aren’t going to be able to handle a couple million refugees out of nowhere, but Mandalore can. Plus, it would be a good base of operations for the stormtroopers to try to locate their families. You’re obviously welcome to any databases here - clearly I’m not going to be doing anything with them. Instead, _I’ll_ be doing-”

“Nope. Nope. I do _not_ need to hear how that sentence was going to end.”

“So will you do it?”

Finn met Kylo’s eyes, and saw that they held nothing but sincerity. This was Kylo Ren, the Jedi Killer, Snoke’s apprentice, the Supreme Leader of the First Order - and he was completely serious about asking an ex-stormtrooper if he wanted to help bring down the system that had enslaved Finn, and so many others like hom. Finn reached out with - well, he wasn’t certain what it was, maybe it was just his own empathy - and he could tell that Kylo wanted to see the First Order in ruins as much as he did. He only wanted Rey, and with such an intense focus, it almost _burned-_

“All right, FN-2187. I already told you you’re a stronger dimorph than most, no need to show it off,” he grumbled.

“That’s rich, coming from _you.”_ Finn let a small smile cross his face.

Kylo’s lips twitched slightly. “You’re right.”

“Where do we start?”

Now, his lips spread into a full grin that still had a touch of evil about it. Kylo stood, retrieving something from beside the bed where Finn was still seated. A helmet Finn never expected to see again was thrusted forward at him - and it wasn’t a stormtrooper helmet.

It was Kylo Ren’s.

“I promised Rey that we would get to know each other before we progress any further in our relationship. So while I still have a couple days of being Supreme Leader, I’m going to use the _hell_ out of this position. And _you_ are going to pretend to be _me.”_

This was hardly what Finn expected to hear... well, _ever._

“But you said I’d _set off_ everyone in the command deck off just by _being around them!”_

Kylo shrugged with indifference. “So? I just need a couple days. You can stay in my quarters, just answer holocalls and say you’re refusing to come out. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done that, no one will question it for a few days.”

“And what, exactly, am I supposed to do while you’re off doing - _whatever_ \- with Rey?”

“I don’t know, entertain yourself? There’s a lot in the quarters of the Supreme Leader, I’ve barely gone in most of the rooms myself. And who knows? If everything goes well, I might send you a gift.”

“... a gift?”

“Well, obviously I have to go back to Lothal to get Rey. So I might happen to pick up a certain Alpha mechanic who’s put her lips all over you as well. Who’s to say?”

Finn was stuck somewhere between intrigue and genuine shock when Ben interrupted his thoughts with yet another dramatic eye roll-

  
_“Fine,_ I can grab the pilot too. Especially since it'll keep him away from Rey.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never meant this stupid silly crack fic to take so long to update!!!! I had a whole beginning of the school year to get through, plus about everything else that can go wrong in a school year from hurricanes to bomb threats (yes, again, for my readers from Footnotes). Thank you so much for sticking it out with me, and I so much enjoyed and appreciate all of your wonderful comments. The next chapter will come MUCH quicker, since - as I'm sure you could guess from this chapter - I have laid the ground work for basically the rest of this story to have a plot (why am I doing this?? THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PORN).


	7. I Swear I Know What I'm Doing (No I Don't)

General Leia Organa thought she had seen it all.

By anyone’s standards, she was a worldly, weary woman. She was there for the spark of the Rebellion, the fall of the Empire, the rise of the New Republic. The notorious Jabba the Hutt had personally _died at her hands._ Governments had risen and fallen under her watch, and her level-headedness, her leadership, her _undeniable_ calm in the worst crisis gave her a well-earned reputation throughout the galaxy.

But nothing in her long years had quite prepared her for the sight of her long-lost son-turned-Supreme-Leader, hunched awkwardly in an underground tunnel as he dragged along an unconscious Rose Tico, with a similarly suspiciously limp Rey slung over his shoulder.

 

Ben Solo was clearly up to something.

 

The General had been alerted to the presence of a shuttle docking above of the abandoned areas of the Resistance’s underground tunnels, though no life signs had been detected on either occasion. To the Resistance, she had dismissed the shuttle as probably nothing more than a mere coincidence that she’d personally investigate, but she knew better. After all, the same shuttle had been there a day prior, coinciding with the disappearance of Finn.

Leia Organa was not an idiot. She knew damn well that her son was somehow involved not only in the First Order’s recent strange decisions, but also in the clear abduction of the former stormtrooper. Her only miscalculation was just how… _personally_ involved Ben seemed to be in these moves of late. Leia was usually a woman willing to let things play out so she could make the best possible strategic response, but her son’s actions perhaps prompted a little more… _guidance._

 

She watched him move along the tunnel, making his way back to where the shuttle was docked. His progress was halting and awkward, as he was clearly making sure to not injure either woman. A slumped figure further along the tunnel showed that similar care was _not_ taken in the apparent abduction of Poe Dameron. Rolling her eyes, Leia heaved a great sigh at the slowly-developing disaster taking place in front of her.

Ben’s head whipped up at the sound, wide-eyed and guilty as he locked eyes with his mother for the first time in nearly a decade.

“...this isn’t what it looks like!” he blanched, his voice cracking on the words.

“Sure it isn’t.” Leia raised a skeptical brow, her lips pursed as she looked down her nose at her sweating, cowering son.

His massive, hulking frame looked positively ridiculous in contrast with his panicked, guilty expression as he attempted to make himself look smaller, clutching all the tighter to Rey’s waist. Anxiety, fear, and worry rolled off of him in waves - mixed with the heavy scent of pheromones in the air, the whole corridor positively _reeked_ of bad decisions and Alpha.

Sighing once again, Leia crossed her arms tightly across her chest. “Explain. _Now.”_

He ducked his head, his eyes avoiding hers as he shuffled Rey off his shoulder and into his arms, taking great care to make sure her head was rested against his chest. “Rey - I mean, also Finn - _Omegas,_ but - I’m not kidnapping them I swear, we’re going to - the First Order will - everything is fine, there’s no need - I - I -” finally, Ben met his mother’s piercing gaze for a split second, then his head hung even further. “Gods, I - I don’t know what - I’m so _sorry-”_

Leia raised her hand to cut him off, her face inscrutable. “No apologies now. Time isn’t on either of our sides, I’m afraid. I expect a _long_ explanation and talk later - assuming there will _be_ a later where we’re both alive?”

 _“Yes,”_ he implored.

“Good. Then we can focus on the more immediate problem. Thinking you could pull some fly-by-night abduction of your Omega? _Honestly,_ Ben!” Leia leveled a glance at Rey, shaking her head slowly. “You know, your father pulled a similar stunt… _stars,_ it feels like a lifetime ago.”

Ben’s expression was caught somewhere between cringing and befuddled. “But you’re an - he wasn’t -”

“Oh yes, your father was a bit of an Alpha too, don’t you forget that. You couldn’t come by this _ridiculous_ behavior more honestly - he thought that whisking me away in the night was the best decision then, too. Han wasn’t going to let some Beta get between us, prince or not.” Leia rolled her eyes, smiling wistfully. “Morons, both of them. I had already Claimed your father ages before, and Isolder failed to realize I was already pregnant with you - something Han didn’t manage to catch on to for an embarrassingly long time, either.”

Ben’s mouth hung open in dumbstruck horror.

“Look, Ben. If you’re going to kidnap Rey-”

“-I’m not _kidnapping_ her-”  

“Sure you aren’t. And I’m _sure_ you don’t have some ludicrous plan that you think is somehow going to win her over and solve _all_ your problems.”

His mouth flapped open and closed uselessly several times as he clutched Rey tighter to his chest, before finally settling on a ferocious pout that Leia recognized from toddlerhood.

“I’m not going to stop you. In fact, I’ll make sure you leave here safely, and carry on with - well, whatever this is you’re doing. It seems harmless enough so far, and I’m interested to see what, exactly, _is_ your plan - _Supreme Leader.”_

Ben flinched. It was the first time she had acknowledged anything about his position, his title - and if it was possible for him to look more ashamed, he did. Leia slowly approached her son, holding his gaze as he continued his fruitless attempt to shrink back. Supreme Leader, Force-wielder, _Alpha_ he may have been - his trembling reaction to his equally powerful Alpha mother was practically adorable.

“You had better be ready to take care of her, Ben. She has had enough hardships without _you_ adding on to them, and I shudder to think how much of this you’re already responsible for. I didn’t raise you to treat a lady as a prize to be won, Omega or not.”

“I’m - I’m not - that’s not _remotely-”_

“ _Please._ She shows up in the Falcon on Crait just _reeking_ of you and a half-finished scent marking, not to mention how often you’ve been dropping in around here lately and throwing off her hormones. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“Mother, I - it isn’t - I - _I love her.”_

Leia shot her son a sharp look. “Does she know that?”

“Well, no, not just yet-”

“Then prove it. Prove it to her, prove it to me, prove it to the galaxy.”

Ben chewed on the inside of his lip in a manner that was eerily reminiscent of his father. “That’s what I’m _trying_ to do here,” he grumbled, a pout still firmly fixed on his face.

“I’m glad. Rey needs all the help she can get right now. Especially since - well…” the corners of Leia’s mouth turned up in a Lothcat-like grin. “You’ll find out soon enough, I suppose.”

A troubled look crossed his face as his eyes darted back and forth between Rey in his arms and his mother’s smug expression. “What?”

Leia was already making her way back up the hallway, away from the shuttle. “Take care. I’ll wipe this from the cameras, tell everyone that this shuttle was empty and on autopilot. And _do_ try and not traumatize poor Rose and Poe - I can only guess that their involvement has something to do with Finn.”

Finally, Leia came to a halt at the top of the ramp, looking back toward her son. “I mean it, Ben. Prove yourself to her. I expect all of you back here in -” she gave the air a delicate sniff, her eyes taking on a glint worthy of Anakin Skywalker’s daughter - “-ten days. With the galaxy intact, preferably. And then we are going to have a _chat.”_

Ben nodded numbly, re-grasping Rey as he swallowed tightly. Leia’s hand hovered over the door lock, still memorizing the face of her long-lost son. It was utterly reckless - a complete gamble, letting him go like this. She hoped that she was doing the right thing. Something about the sincerity of his face - older, scarred, and a little scared - _something_ there proved to Leia that, whatever else happened, her son would make her proud.

And hopefully a grandmother in the near future, Force willing.

 

* * *

 

Kylo Ren had arrogantly thought that there was no sound in the universe that could possibly fill him with as much anxiety and trepidation as the voice of his former Master - either one of them, to be quite honest.

That was before he heard Rey’s quiet sobs that she probably thought were covered up by a pillow.

She hadn’t started with tears. In fact, when Rey first woke up in the private quarters of his shuttle many hours after her… _acquisition_ , she proceeded to throw an absolute _fit._ This, Kylo was more prepared for - so prepared, in fact, that he made sure he was in the cockpit, clear on the other side of the shuttle. From the relative safety of the cockpit, he was able to use the comm system to calmly and rationally explain what was going on without the fear of bodily injury, or their hormones getting the better of them.

Calm and rational did _not_ work.

Rey’s fury at being stolen away without her consent nearly shook the shuttle out of hyperspace, and it wasn’t until Kylo was able to patch her through to Finn that she managed to even her temper somewhat. Kylo felt immense gratitude toward the former stormtrooper, who managed to convey not only his and his friends’ safety in the quarters of the Supreme Leader, but also that, despite all of his misgivings, Kylo Ren _could_ actually have a very good idea about how to bring peace to the galaxy.

Apparently, Finn’s reassurances worked _too_ well. By the end of their conversation, Rey’s bottom lip was quivering, and her eyes bright with unshed tears that Kylo could see even through the terrible security cam footage.

By the time he sprinted to his private quarters, his heart was practically in his throat. Her soft, muffled cries stabbed at him, each gasp making him feel more like he had made some irrevocable mistake in bringing her here.

When he opened the door, all hell broke loose.

Before, when she was unconscious, her scent had been pleasant, but practically neutral - Kylo had zero issues with transporting her, or even holding her closely. It was as though biology demanded that both Alpha and Omega be present and aware, and any potential for taking advantage and blaming pheromones was wholly out of the question.

But now she was awake. She was awake, and she _reeked_ of distress. Every cell in Kylo’s body demanded that he somehow resolve every one of her issues all at once, but somewhere buried under the weight of a thousand Alpha instincts, his rational mind knew that this was perhaps not the best course of action.

Unfortunately, the rational thought processes were not what influenced what came out of his mouth when he finally laid eyes on the tear-streaked Rey.

“Please tell me how to fix this!”

Her head shot up at his voice. There was an awkward, drawn-out silence as the two stared each other down for the first time in person since the _Supremacy._ Finally, the quiet was broken when Rey drew ina ragged breath.

“This - this is all my f-f- _fault,”_ she sobbed. “I - I shouldn’t have - if I had-”

He rushed to sit beside her on the low cot, pulling her into his arms. “Hush, everything will be alright, I’ll help-”

Rey pushed against his chest weakly, still trembling. “H-help?! You haven’t _h-helped_ anything! You - you’ve j-just made things _worse!_ I never had any of these - these _horrible_ problems before _you_ came around!” She wiped at her nose, her small shoulders hunched in defeat. “I never - I never just _cried_ for no reason at all, or - or got so angry at someone that I…” Rey shook her head ashamedly, cutting a glare up at Kylo. “A-and now - from what Finn told me, _apparently_ \- you’ve gone and brought the whole _galaxy_ into this?”

“I’ll give you everything you’ve ever wanted. Everything I’m doing - it’s all for you, I promise-”

“I don’t _want_ any of that! I just want to be _normal!”_

Kylo sighed, his thumb slowly stroking along where he held her arm in his wide grip. He attempted to pull her closer toward his chest, but she remained stubbornly stiff. “Well, Rey, I’m afraid that since you were born, it was never going to be an option for you to be _normal-”_

She cut him off with another wailing cry, her face in her hands as she collapsed forward. “It’s not _fair!_ What did I do to deserve this?”

“Rey, you realize that what you have - your power in the Force, your being an Omega - many people would consider that to be a blessing-”

“Well people are _idiots!_ This has all been h- _horrible!_ These feelings, this pain - I don’t care about _power,_ I’d trade it all away-” Rey sat up suddenly, her eyes blinking almost sleepily as she glanced around the cabin. “I - I would... I...? W-what is this?”

Dumbly, Kylo looked over his shoulder as though expecting to see something. “Pardon me?”

“It’s -” she shook her head, as though trying to clear her mind. “What - what was I-” she dabbed at her cheek, mystified. “Why was I crying so hard just now?”

Kylo was thoroughly befuddled, and for once, he managed to make the correct decision and not say anything.

Rey rose to her feet, pacing directly in front of the bed. _“Kriff,_ see? _This_ is what I’m talking about! This isn’t _normal!_ It’s - it’s like I become this completely insane  _thing,_ and I - I know better, I can feel myself thinking and saying crazier and crazier things, but then suddenly it all goes away again, and everything is just - just…”

Finally, she came to a halt, breathing in the air slowly. “I - I’m… huh.” Rey shuffled back toward the bed, slowly sitting beside him. She stared blankly ahead, biting at her lip. “Actually… this is the best I’ve felt in days. My head… it’s clear.”

As slowly as he could, Kylo once again put his arm around her shoulders. This time, she leaned into the embrace, her once-stiff shoulders and spine slowly relaxing as she tucked her head under his chin. “See, it’s like… I realize that this is a completely irrational thing to do right now. I’m _mad_ at you. But this… this feels nice.”

Somehow, that statement felt like a victory. “Rey, I’m - I don’t presume to really explain what’s going on with your body right now, but-”

“Shh… Don’t ruin this.” Rey pushed against his neck with the crown of her head, nudging him until he leaned up against the wall. He couldn’t stop himself - he took a long, appreciative inhale of her scent, at last assured that she was calmer, _finally_ no longer tinged with the stench of distress like she was earlier. “I assume we’ll be in hyperspace for a while?”

“Yes, but-”

“Good. You’re going to stay here, and let me-” she buried her face in his chest, sighing happily. Her words were muffled, but distinct- “I’m just saying, for the record-” _snuggle-_ “-I am still upset with you and what you’ve done, but for right now-” _yawn-_ “I think I’d like… I’d like…”

“...Rey?”

No response. It was hardly what he intended, but Kylo couldn’t stop the dumb, content smile that came across his face. Perhaps his timetable could allow for a bit of a nap, after all…

 

* * *

 

Warmth.

Wet.

_Distress._

“Why is it so _hot_ in here? This is worse than Jakku, it’s - _it’s like we’re living in hell!”_

Somewhere in the fog of his waking mind, Kylo was aware that he needed to do something. His Omega was upset, and it was something fairly easily rectified. But for right now, it was difficult to concentrate on anything other than the fact that he woke up absolutely _drenched_ in Rey’s sweat.

It should have been disgusting, but the part of his brain that registered things like that was evidently not functioning right now. All blood had rushed elsewhere as he nearly fainted at where she had practically scent marked him, however unintentionally.

Could he get away with never showering again?

“Where’s the - the damn panel- there we go, _kriff-”_ Rey dashed from the room, her beguiling scent going with her.

All at once, Kylo went from pleasantly aroused sleepiness to full-on Alpha - she was leaving the bed, this was _not_ acceptable. He stomped after her noisily, her scent leading him back to the cockpit of the shuttle. In the space of a few seconds, she had managed to settle herself in the pilot’s chair, punching through coordinates, looking somewhat befuddled as she mumbled to herself. It was... _cute,_ the way she was sitting in his chair like she belonged there. He managed to take a breath and collect himself so he could act like a rational human being - rather than tackle her to the ground and mount her, the way his instincts had been screaming at him to do just a second before. 

“Naboo? Oh no, we’re not doing that. Too damn hot. Maybe Hoth?”

Ah. So she thought the best way to solve her current crisis was to physically cool herself. He’d let her entertain that particular thought, just to see where this led.  

Kylo vaulted over the co-pilot’s chair, his face faintly disgusted as he looked at Rey. “Hoth? _Why_ would your first instinct be - _no._ I can do better than that.” He swiveled the console away from her, tapping in a new destination before shoving the screen back. She looked back at him, puzzled.

“Scipio?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why yes, I have no imagination, and now that I’ve headcanoned Scipio as the mountain-chalet-winter-getaway that I’ve used it as in Footnotes, I can’t see it as anything else. Suffice it to say, there’s going to be a lot more of the high-end living aspect of it shown here.
> 
> SO sorry it’s taken me so long to update; those of you who follow me on tumblr (ms-camucia) may remember that my school year has been chock full of bomb threats and hurricanes - and yes, there has been one more of each since last time I updated this. Eventful year!
> 
> But now we’ve reached that most wonderful time of the year where I actually have some consistent time off, the yearbook is relatively caught up, and Dr. Mr. Camucia is actually home and looking out for y’all by constantly pestering me when I haven’t updated in a bit. Everyone has him to thank for this chapter, both for it actually getting finished and his consult on crazy-hormone-behavior.
> 
> As always, thank you all SO much for the reviews - they really do help! The entirety of this chapter went from detailed outline status to actually finished since I got a review on Wednesday!


	8. Hungry for More (A Little Taste)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE. Have an extra-long chapter to make up for how long it's been!

“Can I help you in any-”

“No.”

“...do you need me to-”

“No.”

“Surely there’s something I can-”

_“No.”_

“...what if I brought you something to eat?”

Rey slowly rose up from her prone position on the cold tile floor, her eyes narrow and calculating. _“...yes.”_

 

Her glaring eyes tracked him as he cautiously backed away from the ornery Omega on the bathroom floor. She looked like she was ready to murder him on the spot, if it weren’t for the fact that she was a sweating, shaking mess who refused to leave what was easily the coldest spot of the coldest room at the very top of the tallest resort in Scipio (after she had rejected four other rooms for not being isolated or frigid enough).

When - _how_ was this what had become of his foolproof plan?

 

“And some tea!” Rey called out at his retreating back. “...please?”

“Tea? But you said you were too hot-”

_“I said what I said.”_

 

Kylo was loathe to turn his back on her, much less actually leave her in the chilly, sterile bathroom. His instincts were screaming to take care of his Omega, to help her through her obvious distress - but the last time he had so much as gently touched her shoulder, she flinched away, wild-eyed with a muttered complaint about being too hot, and him making it worse.

This… _this wasn’t how it was supposed to be._

 

He had done everything _exactly_ by the traditional Alpha and Omega playbook - whisking away Rey from the squalid pit of the Resistance’s hideout on Lothal, ready to take her to a beautiful getaway planned for them on Naboo. He would _prove_ himself to her.

They would spend several blissful days together there among the flowers and growing things he knew she loved, as he showed her everything he could offer her as Alpha. He would cook for her - he had been practicing, he had gotten  _good._ Little by little, she would open up to him, seeing that his intentions were genuine, and should be reciprocated. They would converse, confess, and come to know each other before going any further in their relationship, just as Rey demanded.

 

Then, underneath the shade of the crimson hydenock trees, he would declare his undying devotion to her, she would accept his claim, and they would passionately consummate their mutual desire, physically establishing their bond that was already destined in the Force.

At least, that was the fantasy Kylo had spent many hours meticulously planning, and was _certain_ was going to work.

 

Instead, he now found himself completely alone, standing outside the penthouse bathroom in a freezing room of one of these horrid, austere hotels on Scipio that seemed to favor polished duracrete and steel as means of decor. His Omega had figuratively and physically walled herself off from him, leaving Ben with a distinct feeling that just one thing out of line would completely break the tenuous peace between them. With a sort of detached resignation, he shuffled toward the in-room comm, vaguely wondering how one goes about ordering room service for a practically feral ex-scavenger. How was he supposed to court her when she did nothing but _fight_ him?  

With an obstinate sense of purpose, he proceeded to order a little of everything on the room service menu, plus some rather bland a la carte options, in case the Scipio-banker-friendly selections were too rich. He let the comm fall back into its cradle detachedly, staring at the wall as his thoughts turned in and on themselves, over and over.

 

He didn’t know what to do with her. He didn’t want to push her into anything - _gods,_ he didn’t want to do that. Every time he thought back to what she said about them getting to know each other better, how absurd it was for them to instigate a relationship when they were at war with each other - of _course_ she was right, from a certain point of view.

But at the same time, her seemingly endless denial and willingness to ignore problems until they grew out of control was going to come to a head, and _soon._ Her heat was _literally_ at a boiling point. Whether she wanted to acknowledge it or not, her body was a ticking time bomb, and the last thing Ben wanted was for her to feel betrayed by her own biology yet again, much less blame him for… well, whatever ended up happening here.  

 

 _Kriff,_ if only there was someone out there to help him with this decidedly _Alpha_ problem; someone he could turn to, someone with _intimate_ experience with both Alphas and Omegas, someone he could trust to keep his secrets in complete confidence -

Kylo felt as though ice slid down his spine as he quickly realized who, _exactly,_ fit those specifications.

_No._

Surely, there was _someone_ else, _anyone_ else-

His fingers were already flying across the panel, patching through to a personal comm code that had been given to him when he was a mere eight years old. A comm he was assured he could call at any time, no matter what happened, or where he was, or what kind of situation he needed help with-

_“Hey there, little starfighter! I just got off the comm with your mother, I figured it was only a matter of time-”_

 

The voice of his Uncle Lando was eerily familiar, bringing up memories of a time long since past. But he couldn’t dwell on that. More present concerns needed to be addressed.

“Calrissian. Time is not on my side. I need your help.”

 _“Well, so_ **_that’s_ ** _how it’s going to be, is it? Already calling in favors? I’d think you would spare some courtesy for your father’s best friend, after what you did to him.”_

It seemed as though the past would haunt him regardless. But, in this particular situation - with _Lando Calrissian,_ of all people - the past could actually be used to Kylo’s (or rather, _Ben Solo’s)_ benefit. Kriff, he really was Ben Solo in this moment, wasn’t he? Pathetic, weak, looking for answers anywhere he could find them - and Ben Solo had _no_ problems sinking to Lando Calrissian’s level when the situation was this dire.

Besides, he had told Rey he could be Ben Solo for her. Perhaps it was time he really _tried._

“You were never his best friend. _Chewie_ already got his shot in. Would you like me to mention the fact that you attempted to kill my father - or have him killed on your behalf - on at _least_ two occasions _that I’m aware of?”_

_“Touche, kid. Yet you brought it up. Tell me, why is that-”_

“I’m _asking_ you to put that aside for now - besides, you owe me from…” Ben shuddered, remembering the _exact_ circumstances that led him to this position- _“Twenty-two years_ ago. I need advice.”

There was a distinct, derisive snort on the other end of the comm. _“Of course you do. About your little Omega - Rey, was it?”_

“She’s _not-”_

_“She’s not yours, is she?”_

“That’s none of your business-”

_“Of course it is. That’s why you called me, just like your mother said you would. She’s explained everything.”_

Ben found himself pinching the bridge of his nose tighter and tighter, trying his damndest to not let his emotions boil over, letting those negative feelings reach out to where surely Rey was already having enough problems of her own. He was better than this - _stronger_ than this.

“Let’s assume that this favor is regarding advice concerning a certain Omega-”

_“Cut the bullshit, kid. You need advice about Rey.”_

_“Yes,”_ Ben bit out through gritted teeth. “All right? _Yes,_ this is about Rey. Rey, the beautiful, strong scavenger from Jakku, who I intend to spend the rest of my days with, but right now, she seems more occupied with biting my head off, denying that anything has changed with her, and surrounding herself in ice than she does even _talking_ to me. All things considered, I thought we were getting somewhere before this, but now-”

 _“Hang on -_ **_Jakku?”_ **

“-now, it seems like she won’t even - er, yes. She’s from Jakku.”

_“She was a scavenger, you say?”_

“I hardly see how this is relevant.”

_“And you feel like, at any moment, she might just leap up from whatever cold corner she’s found and physically attack you?”_

“Kriff, _yes,_ that’s _exactly-”_

The comm practically shorted out in attempting to contain the uproarious laughter on the other end, followed by a few hacking coughs.

“I’m glad you’re finding amusement in my predicament.”

 _“Kid, I’m-_ COUGH _\- I’m not laughing_ **_at_ ** _you, exactly, it’s just -_ WHEEZE _-_ **_Maker,_ ** _you are your father’s son, aren’t you?”_ Lando’s voice was already hoarse with laughter, which he barely managed to keep contained between his words.

“And what, exactly, do you mean by that?”

 _“Have you ever considered the fact that maybe, just_ **_maybe_ ** _the reason she’s so cross with you is because she_ **_wants_ ** _you to make the first move? That maybe she **wants**  you to attack her?” _

“I - no, that’s preposterous, she’s made _no_ attempt to instigate proper courting combatives -”

Lando cut him off with another snort of laughter. _“Sometimes I forget how you were raised, little Prince. A girl from a backwater planet like her? She didn’t grow up learning all your fancy Alpha and Omega rules of combat and etiquette. You’ve gotta take her down headfirst. After all, an Omega in her state is only going to want three things - food, a fight, or a good long fu-”_

 _“Take her down?!_ She’s - it’s - that’s _horrible,_ she’s not some _animal_ \- and just _fight_ her? That’s - that’s _loathsome!_ I couldn’t - I would never presume to - if this is the sort of thing that _you_ do, I regret ever-”

_“Kid! Kid. Hear me out. It’s not what you think.”_

Ben could practically feel his rage behind his eyes at the mere _thought_ of approaching Rey in the way that he assumed Lando meant, his fingers trembling in barely-contained anger.

There were centuries of tradition that dictated the sacred terms of combat, of _courting_ between an Alpha and an Omega - in no terms would it ever be proper for an Alpha of his size and stature to simply _‘take down’_ Rey against her will, and without anything handicapping his obvious physical advantages. The Alpha in him would tear him down, piece by shredded piece, if he even _considered_ such a heinous thing. To just simply - _take_ her? To use his Force-given strength, his physical capabilities - in such a _horrific_ way?

“What could you _possibly_ mean then, Calrissian?”

_“Alphas and Omegas, Ben. It’s just you two being an Alpha and an Omega in the most classic sense. You want to pursue her and keep her safe, correct? It’s why you stole her away to - well, wherever you two ran off to after your mother saw you. You wanted to isolate her, feed her, and keep her for yourself where she had nowhere else to run - am I wrong?”_

Ben’s mind raced at the implications of those words as he slowly sank to the floor. Is - is that what he had done? His carefully thought-out plans, his meticulous scheme - was it all some disgusting, horrendous, primal, _instinct?_ “I - I - g-gods… what have I _done?!”_

_“Nothing she wasn’t expecting - at least on a base level. And with a girl like her… well, trust me, you’ve got to keep it - er - basic.”_

“You mean _primitive._ I’ve treated her like some sort of beast, I’m no better than - _kriff,_ I’m no better than a _Trandoshan.”_

_“You’re looking at this the wrong way, kid. She’s not from the same world as you, she didn’t grow up learning all about these ‘proper’ Alpha and Omega customs that we use to cover up these… less than convenient instincts. She’s just reacting on a natural level. Tell me - has she seemed more mad at you and your actions, or at the way she’s responding to her own changes as an Omega?”_

He paused, considering her words throughout the last day. “She - she seems angry with her own reactions. She did say that everything with her being an Omega was somehow my fault, but she seemed a lot more upset about what was happening to her, saying she didn’t do anything to deserve any of this, that-”

_“That she just wants to be ‘normal?’”_

“Yes - that - that was it _exactly._ How-?”

_“Ben, she’s not the first Omega from nowhere, and she won’t be the last. She’s going to see anything that makes her life different and more difficult from those around her as something she needs to stamp out - unless you show her that being an Omega isn’t the end of the world.”_

“And how, exactly, do I do that?”

_“Kriff, kid, don’t tell me I have to explain the birds and the bees to you - surely you have some ‘experience’ here that can help her out. Get her some food, get her to bed, show her a good time.”_

Ben felt himself break out in a nervous sweat, his voice suddenly weirdly high-pitched. “Yes, of course I don’t need anything explained. I’m completely armed with the information I need to handle this... situation. I’ve done my research.”

There was that sound of the comm shorting out again as Lando was clearly trying to restrain his laughter. _“Okay, kid. Whatever you say. You just won me the bet of a lifetime concerning the status of the ‘Supreme Virg-’”_

 

A knock at the penthouse door was the only thing that kept Ben from crushing the comm into a fine powder. He swallowed tightly as he powered it off, his mind quickly reformulating a plan. However crass it was, Lando Calrissian did have some decent advice hidden among all the sarcasm and swagger. He’d get Rey some food to take her mind off _that_ particular hunger, discuss their current situation as rationally as possible, and be firm, but not commanding, in the terms of explaining what was about to happen to her. By no means was he going to attack her like an animal. _Surely,_ she’d see reason and allow him to help her.

...right?

 

* * *

 

Rey didn’t think it was possible for her skin to be any more hot. Or that she could be any more _hungry._

As soon as Ben retreated from the bathroom, she practically ripped off her final layer of clothing, now completely exposed as she once again spread herself out on the porcelain tile. Immediately, she began to regret the decision. The formerly cool floor rapidly heated below her, and her sweat-covered skin plastered itself to the surface, guaranteeing a painful removal later - but at least, for now, she felt some slight relief. Of course, she was now all the more aware of the empty feeling in her gut, but hopefully that would be relieved soon enough.

Initially, Ben had balked at her desire to flop down on the ground of this particular room, but Rey silenced him with a judgmental glare, proclaiming this room to possibly be the cleanest place she had ever stepped foot in. He seemed horrified at the implication of that statement as well, but wisely didn’t say anything else.

This was fine. Everything was fine. She would get past this, just like everything else in her life.

Ben had been almost _obnoxiously_ accommodating to her demands; maybe it was in apology for kidnapping her in the first place. After their initial row in the shuttle, things had calmed down somewhat between them, with Ben practically tripping over himself to see to Rey’s demands for colder and colder accommodations, and had now scurried away to find her food. The luxury of this suite was decidedly over-the-top - she insisted that she didn’t need anything more than her little room she had in the Resistance base, but Ben seemed determined. Though, Rey considered, it was perhaps for the best that she was off the arid, dusty planet of Lothal right now after all. This bathroom, with its wide, frost-covered windows overlooking snowy peaks, was possibly the most expensively-furnished and coldest place she had ever been in her life.

But it still wasn’t enough. She was still… _hot,_ she was still _hungry._

Distantly, Rey was aware that this was probably some sort of Omega thing. Certainly, in all of her research, “heats” had come up with an alarming frequency - but surely, just like the varying types of holoporn, it wasn’t as… _visceral_ as it was popularly portrayed? Dr. Ball had mentioned (in his horrifying monotone) something about an _“uncontrollable sexual desire”_ that would accompany the feelings of overheating. But Rey felt _very_ much in control of things, especially compared to some of her more irrational feelings and responses she had back on Ben’s shuttle. She was _choosing_ to lie down on this floor, after all. Yes, surely everything she had read about heats was all grossly exaggerated, and she would press on through this until it was over, and could steadfastly ignore it as a weird fluke-

A positively _delicious_ scent wafted into the room. It was… indescribable, begging her attention as it compelled her to look up and take notice. Its heady aroma filled her nostrils, stirring a primal churning low in her belly. Maybe it was food?

The door opened just a crack. The scent was now impossible to ignore, and decidedly _not_ food.

No. It was Ben. Just… Ben.

And he smelled good enough to eat.

“Rey? Are you, er, decent? I got some food, I wasn’t sure what you wanted…”

“Just a minute,” Rey mumbled, shaking her head as she stamped down an irrational thought of how much she’d very much like to sink her teeth into something that was decidedly _not_ food. She peeled herself off the sweat-soaked tile floor and staggered toward the wall where a far-too-fluffy bathrobe hung on a hook. As she pulled it on and _instantly_ overheated, she wondered if it would have been a better move to just stride out in the nude.

Perhaps the bathrobe alone was already pushing it. Ben stood stock-still in front of the door, his wide-eyed gaze blatantly roaming down Rey’s body as he stared openmouthedly.

 _“Move,”_ she growled, trying her damndest to ignore the urge to knock Ben to the ground and lick his neck. She had done that before, after all - but only in that weird, quasi-real space of their Force Bond. If his scent now was anything to go by, their previous… dalliance couldn’t even _compare_ to the way their bodies were reacting to each other now.

“I - I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got…” Ben gestured vaguely to a table _absolutely covered with food._

 

Thick-cut nerf steaks, beautifully marbled with fat and trimmed to perfection. Plump, roasted birds of some kind, surrounded by fragrant herbs and glazed with something that made them positively shine. Baskets of golden, crusty, steaming breads that were decidedly _not_ created from dried ration packets. A veritable forest of vegetables and mushrooms that gave off a spicy, savory aroma that managed to smell almost as good as Ben. Eggs - just _mountains_ of eggs, of all shapes and colors - some pickled, some hard-boiled, others halved, stuffed, and arranged in a display platter. Pitchers of ice-cold water and juices, filled to the brim, along with a large, steaming pot of tea - as requested. There were colorful, noodly sort of things in a bowl, swimming in a creamy sauce she couldn’t even identify. And air cakes - gods, _air cakes,_ Rey had only ever heard about them - dusted in fine sugar, their sweet, fruity fillings practically bursting out at the seams.

“Kriff, was _this_ everything they had?”

“Is - is it not - I - I can get more, if you like-”

Rey had already clambered into a chair before the veritable feast, snatching up a yeast bun and shoving it in her mouth as her eyes rolled back in pleasure. “Krrrff, Bnn. W’ cnn’t pohhib-y ‘et aww biff.”

Ben winced. “Swallow, please, Rey.”

She glared up at him with a raised brow. “Yeff, _Arrffa.”_

If Rey wasn’t mistaken, a tiny, high-pitched whine issued from Ben in response as he sank into the chair across from her. But he wasn’t her concern right now. Trying everything in front of her, however, _was._

 

“So, Rey. I believe we have some things to - _would you like to use a fork?”_

Rey looked to the noodles between her fingers, which were grasping them just fine, and the half-eaten hard-boiled egg in her other hand. “No?”

From the strained look on his face, he was very, _very_ clearly trying to keep himself from saying something. Rey supposed it had something to do with her not-posh-enough-for-him eating habits - too bad for him, she had barely gotten started. Ben gave a small sigh, reaching for a fruit in front of him, and began methodically peeling it.

“So. Now that we’re starting to settle in, I think there are some things we need to discuss. Things that are, ah, time-sensitive, and of a delicate matter.”

Rey looked up from where she had been stuffing a roll with mushrooms, her mouth full of some sort of delicious, peppery green leaves. “Wot?”

“Your heat, Rey.”

She rolled her eyes, swallowing the mouthful of greenery with a gulp of hot tea. “It’s nothing. I’ll be fine. It’ll be over soon enough.”

Ben scoffed, crossing his arms defensively as he averted his eyes. “Because that’s been working so well for you, hasn’t it? Doing everything on your own? _Suffering_ on your own?”

“Yes, it actually has! Just because you barged into my life doesn’t mean I can’t take care of myself! I’m. Just. _Fine!”_

 

She could feel it. His temper, his indignation was building rapidly, tinting his scent in a way that simultaneously made her want to calm him and provoke him further, just to see what he would do. He breathed in deeply, clearly trying to steady himself as he looked down his long nose at her.

 _“Sure_ you’re fine. You’re so fine that your body is practically setting itself on fire to get you to take care of it properly - it’s _begging_ at this point. Begging you, begging _me_ to help. Yet you neglect it. You deny it, telling yourself you’re just _hungry,_ you’re just _hot._ You can gorge yourself on all the food you want, make as big of a mess as you want, go to the coldest planet you want, but _none_ of this will truly relieve your hunger, Rey.”

Rey froze halfway through grabbing a steak, truly taking in every one of his words. She looked to his face, registering his pained expression as a sneer as a hot fury built in her. “I’m sorry, are you _disgusted_ by me?”

 _“No,”_ he growled, rising to his feet to brace his shaking arms on the table. He bowed his head forward, his hair covering his face as he clutched his fists, pulling at the white tablecloth beneath them. He seemed to take several long breaths, his fingers continuing to clench and release.

“Rey, it’s taking everything I have to not jump across this table and take you _right now,”_ he confessed quietly.

 

She fell back to her chair with the steak still in hand, a thrill shooting down her spine at his blatant words, heat pooling between her legs. Was this - was this what she _wanted_ to hear from him? _YES,_ her body practically screamed at her. But was she in control of what happened?

“-and if you tear that perfectly cooked nerf steak open with your hands, I might just have to come over there anyway and _teach you a lesson in manners.”_

 

She locked eyes with him. They had been here before, with his blatant acts of teasing - and he could just as easily slip back into being the deferent, accommodating Alpha who just backed off and gave her whatever she said she wanted.

But right now… right now, she wanted… Rey wanted _him._ She _was_ in complete control right now. She could say a single word, and he would retreat, if that was what she wanted; she had used that power before. Twisting in her seat, she felt a different sort of burn build hotter and hotter in her - a familiar one, one that she knew only had one way to relieve it.

Maybe… maybe it was fine for her to do this. Maybe this could be normal too, maybe even _pleasant,_ with his help. But she wasn’t going to give him room to back down this time - she was going to _make_ him commit. This needed to be his decision, too.

Slowly but deliberately, her hands reached for the steak right in front of her, pinching at the area where the darkest red flesh met the bone. She pulled at the meat, its juices already starting to flow on to the table-

She didn’t know how he did it. Somehow, in the space of a second, Ben moved to her side of the table, seized her under the armpits, and hauled her up to sit across his lap as he sat in her chair, the steak left on the table.

 

 _“Pick it up and put it on the plate,”_ he whispered hotly in her ear.

Trembling, Rey did just that. Ordinarily, she would have been furious about him using an Alpha command on her, but something about the circumstances, the banality of the command, the scents everywhere - she chose to obey him. After all, she was in control of this.

“Good girl,” he murmured, tucking her hair behind her ears as he nuzzled her neck. “Now, pick up the fork and knife.”

Rey’s hands hesitated. This was still her choice - and she still wanted that damn steak, after all - but now she was just embarrassed to admit that she didn’t know-

Fingers slowly skimmed down her arms until his massive hands covered hers, gently closing over them. He guided her hands to grasp at the proper utensils, poising them over the steak.

“Hold it in place with the fork. _Gently,_ this isn’t bantha meat,” Ben admonished with a slight squeeze. “Look at the grain of it - you’re going to use that knife, and I want you to cut against it. Slowly, you don’t need to press hard, it’s a sharp knife, and you want to _cut_ the meat, not tear it.”

The knife glided along the steak, revealing a glistening, perfectly seared outside and just-cooked inside. While Rey was sure that it smelled and would taste delicious, she was _incredibly_ preoccupied with where Ben’s thumb was slowly stroking at her pulse point on her wrist, causing shivers to run through her whole body.

“Go ahead, Rey. You’ve waited long enough, and you done it perfectly. _Take it.”_

 

Rey lifted the fork to her lips with a shaking hand, biting down on the reasonably-sized cut of meat as Ben’s hands guided hers to return the utensils to the plate. She chewed slowly, letting out a small moan as the flavors exploded on her tongue, the scents of both food and Ben intertwining and becoming _delightful._

“Good girl. Would you like to continue, or would you rather I…?” Ben indicated his own hands toward the utensils, giving Rey the choice.

She never knew she wanted it until he offered. Nodding eagerly, Rey adjusted herself on his lap as Ben wrapped his arms around her to reach the plate, cutting a piece for her.

He locked eyes with her with the fork held just past her lips, unblinking as he whispered - _“Is this ok?”_

“Yes, Alpha,” the words naturally came from her for the first time with sincerity, opening her mouth for him.

Ben let out a breath he seemed to have been holding for some time as she closed her lips around the bite. “Gods, _Rey,_ I don’t think you know what those words mean to me...”

Rey smirked around her mouthful of meat. “Whoff to ffay I donn’?”

He scowled, bending forward ever so slightly to nip at her ear as he cut the rest of the steak into small pieces. “Don’t talk with your mouth full, Omega.”

Jumping in surprised indignation, Rey would _not_ let that nibble go unanswered. She twisted in his lap to lean forward and away from him, ostensibly to reach for her glass of water, but not without an inordinate amount of wiggling. Arching her back, she tilted her hips _just_ so-

 _“Kriff,_ Rey, are you trying to kill me?” Ben groaned, his hands dropping to grasp at her thighs, his fingers finding their way under her robe.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m just enjoying the rest of this steak.” Rey stabbed several pieces of steak on to her fork, shoving them into her mouth as she ground down on him. She speared the final chunk, twisting in his lap to offer it to him.

He was sweating, but a distinct smirk pulled at the corners of his mouth. _“Swallow,_ Omega.”

She moaned, her throat stretching in haste to obey him. “Wouldn’t you like some, Alpha?”

Ben’s smirk widened into a full grin. Reaching around her, his arm swept aside the plates and platters immediately in front of his seat, leaving just enough room for-

Rey gave an undignified _squeak_ as Ben lifted her from his lap as though she weighed nothing. He turned her, sitting her just on the edge of the table. Kicking the chair away, he kneeled before her, gently coaxing her thighs apart until her knees framed his shoulders.

 

“I think I’d rather skip to dessert.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND I DON'T EVEN EAT STEAK!
> 
> Seriously, I never meant to take so long to update this one, guys. I've fallen into some weird pattern where I can only write this one right after my school has undergone YET ANOTHER 5+ HOUR LOCKDOWN. Thank you all SO much for your wonderful comments and support over these last couple of months, and I swear I'm not going to keep teasing. We're getting into the Good Stuff. I don't think it's possible for me to have made this any more consensual for an ABO fic than I have, honestly. Let me know your thoughts!


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